FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 15, 2007
VICTORIA -- Fair Voting BC President Bruce Hallsor welcomed the release of the Draft Electoral Boundaries Commission report today. In particular, FVBC is pleased to see the production of British Columbia's first official map of multi-member ridings using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system developed by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.
"We congratulate the Boundaries Commission for respecting the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly in holding the new STV districts to a workable size, while still ensuring that the new system will produce fair proportionality for BC voters" Hallsor said. "An election held under these boundaries will ensure that British Columbians votes will count, and that we will never again be stuck with lop-sided majorities like we got in 2001, or have the losing party form government, like we did in 1996." he added.
"In the last referendum, nearly 58% of British Columbians voted to support the STV electoral system, but many others held back support because they did not know what their new boundaries would look like. In the May 2009 referendum, people will now know what their boundaries will be, and this will make it even easier for British Columbians to vote Yes to STV." Hallsor concluded.
British Columbians can now review the Electoral Boundaries Commission report and can make comments on the proposed riding boundaries before the final report is presented to the Legislature on February 15, 2008.
Contacts: Bruce Hallsor
President, Fair Voting BC
250-888-7846
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