What is the First Past the Post voting system?
First Past the Post (FPTP) is British Columbia’s current voting system. In FPTP the province is divided into electoral districts and each district is represented by one Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Voters mark their ballot for one candidate. The candidate with the most votes in the district wins and represents the district in the legislature.
A sample FPTP ballot.
The number of seats a party gets in the legislature equals the number of districts its candidates win. This system tends to elect candidates from large parties and result in single-party majority governments.
FPTP is used in a number of countries at the national or sub-national level, including Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Characteristics of First Past the Post (FPTP)
Voting | Voters vote for one candidate on the ballot |
Counting | The candidate with the most votes in the district wins and represents the district in the legislature |
Results | The number of seats a party wins in the legislature equals the number of districts the party’s candidates win in the province |
Representation |
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Electoral districts | Same size as currently |
What is the Dual Member Proportional voting system?
In Dual Member Proportional (DMP), most electoral districts are combined with a neighbouring district and represented by two Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The largest rural districts continue to have one MLA elected by getting the most votes. The graphic below illustrates how districts would be combined in an example jurisdiction.
In two-MLA districts, parties can have one or two candidates on the ballot. Parties decide which of their candidates is listed first on the ballot and which is listed second, shown on the example ballot below as “primary candidate” and “secondary candidate”. Voters vote for a candidate or pair of candidates by marking the ballot once.
The first seat in a district is won by the candidate with the most votes. For parties that run two candidates, this seat is filled by the candidate the party listed first on the ballot.
Second seats go to parties so that each party’s share of seats in the legislature roughly matches its share of the province-wide popular vote. A party’s second seats are filled in districts where its candidates did particularly well. Parties need at least five percent of the vote to get any second seats.
DMP was recently developed in Canada and is not currently in use.
Characteristics of Dual Member Proportional (DMP)
Voting |
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Counting | Urban and Semi-Urban Districts
Large Rural Districts
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Results |
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Representation |
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Electoral districts |
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What is the Mixed Member Proportional voting system?
In Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) there are two types of MLAs. District MLAs represent electoral districts and are elected using First Past the Post. Regional MLAs represent groups of electoral districts called regions. They are elected from a party list so that each party’s share of seats in the legislature roughly matches its share of the province-wide popular vote.
Regional seats are allocated to parties within defined regions, not the province as a whole. District seats and regional seats – added together – roughly match the party’s share of the vote. A party must get at least five percent of the vote to get any regional seats.
In some forms of MMP, voters have two separate votes: one for a district candidate and one for a party. In other forms, voters cast one vote for a candidate that also counts for the candidate’s party. If MMP is adopted, a legislative committee will decide after the referendum if voters have one vote or two.
A sample MMP ballot assuming a two-vote model and closed party list
MMP is used in a number of countries at the national or sub-national level, including Germany, New Zealand and Scotland.
Characteristics of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
Voting | There are two possibilities:
In both cases, the regional member is elected from a list of candidates prepared by the party. There are three possible types of party list:
If MMP is adopted, a legislative committee will decide whether voters have one vote or two and what type of party list is used |
Counting |
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Results |
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Representation |
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Electoral districts |
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What is the Rural-Urban Proportional voting system?
Rural-Urban Proportional (RUP) combines two different proportional voting systems: Single Transferable Vote (STV) and Mixed Member Proportional (MMP).
Voters in urban and semi-urban districts use STV to elect multiple MLAs for their larger electoral district.
STV districts are larger and have more than one MLA
Parties can run multiple candidates in a district and voters rank their preferred candidates on the ballot (1, 2, 3, etc.). Voters can rank as many candidates as they wish.
See the Counting section in the table below for how candidates are elected in urban and semi-urban districts.
In rural districts voters use MMP to elect district and regional MLAs (see MMP).
Provincial results are likely to be generally proportional.
RUP is not used anywhere as a single system, though MMP and STV are used in several countries at the national or sub-national level. MMP is used in Germany, New Zealand, and Scotland. STV is used in Ireland, Australia and Malta.
Characteristics of Rural-Urban Proportional (RUP)
Voting | Urban and Semi-Urban Districts (STV)
Rural Districts |
Counting | Urban and Semi-Urban Districts (STV)
Rural Districts |
Results |
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Representation |
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Electoral districts |
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