Local Choice for BC Municipalities

Local Choice for BC Municipalities

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Last month Vancouver City Council passed a resolution in favour of asking the Union of BC Municipalities to ask the provincial government to give cities LOCAL CHOICE. It's the first step to local electoral reform in BC.

Most cities in BC now use bloc voting - which is first-past-the-post for multiple positions. 

Like first-past-the-post, bloc voting delivers wildly skewed results that doesn’t reflect the wishes of voters. One slate, or candidates with similar points of view, can win every seat on a city council with a minority of voter support.

Equally concerning, research shows that winner-take-all block voting has ...

Last month Vancouver City Council passed a resolution in favour of asking the Union of BC Municipalities to ask the provincial government to give cities LOCAL CHOICE. It's the first step to local electoral reform in BC.

Most cities in BC now use bloc voting - which is first-past-the-post for multiple positions. 

Like first-past-the-post, bloc voting delivers wildly skewed results that doesn’t reflect the wishes of voters. One slate, or candidates with similar points of view, can win every seat on a city council with a minority of voter support.

Equally concerning, research shows that winner-take-all block voting has been proven to discriminate against minority groups. In the US, courts have been overturning this unfair voting system for decades and requiring cities to switch, on the basis of minority rights. 

If the province passed Local Choice legislation, it would mean that any city that wishes to modernize its voting system would be legally permitted to do so. It gives each municipality a choice.

Vancouver's Independent Elections Task Force report already recommended proportional representation for the City of Vancouver in 2017. 

In a shocking development, the Union of BC Municipalities has just recommended that the members of Lower Mainland Local Government Association - the next step on the resolution’s journey - vote against Local Choice for cities! A NO vote at this stage would stop electoral reform in its tracks.

The vote on Local Choice at the Lower Mainland Local Government Association is happening on Thursday May 13 and your local city councillors could be there to decide the issue.

You can help:

Send a message to your local city councillors, asking them to support Local Choice for BC's municipalities!

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Email city councillors to support Local Choice!

Every municipality should have the right to choose a voting system that works for them. If you are in the Lower Mainland (this will be voted on at the Lower Mainland Local Government Association), tell your city councillors to support Local Choice for all BC muncipalities! 

Start typing the name of your municipality and if it's part of the the Lower Mainland Local Government Association, it will show up on the list!

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