How proportional representation would have changed B.C.'s election results - Action News
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British Columbia

How proportional representation would have changed B.C.'s election results

If B.C. had a different electoral system, the breakdown of representativeselected to the legislature might look a little different.

With around 8% of the vote, Greens would have won more seats

two people walk into a building beside an election sign
Political science professor Chris Beach explains how B.C.'s election results could have looked had proportional representation been used to decide how MLA seats are awarded. (The Canadian Press)

British Columbians are still waiting to find out who their next provincial leader will be, five days after the election, as several tight races make it difficult to project a clear winner.

As it stands, the B.C. NDP has about 44.6 per cent of the vote, the B.C. Conservative Party43.6 per cent, and the B.C. Green Party8.2 per cent. Under B.C.'s first-past-the-post electoral system, that translatesto a projected 46, 45 and two seats, respectively, out of the 93-seat total.

But if the province had a different electoral system, the breakdown of representativesin the legislature might have been a little different, according to political science professor Chris Beach.

"Proportional [representation] means if a party gets 25 per cent of the vote, they get 25 per cent of the seats," he told Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.

That means under proportional representation, the Green Party, with about eight per cent of the vote, would be in line to get seven or eight of the total 93 seats.

B.C. has had three referendums on electoral reform: one in 2005, another in 2009 and the third in 2018, all asking voters if they'd prefer to maintain our current system, which gives aseat to whoever gets the most votes in their riding, or if they wantedto switch.

Proportional representation effectively divvies up seats based on the percentage of total votes a party gets.

None of the referendums met the threshold of votes that would have led to B.C. changing its electoral system.

But some maintain it's a more democratic system, one that hasn't been explained well enough for voters to make an informed choice.

WATCH explained different electoral systemsin the lead-up to the 2018 referendum:

First Past The Post vs. Proportional Referendum

6 years ago
Duration 1:52
CBC's Justin McElroy explains the differences between the two voting systems on which B.C. is holding a referendum.

The main downfall in our current first-past-the-post system, Beachsaid, is that a candidate can win a riding with just one vote or oneper cent of the vote.

"There's a sense that all those other votes, some people feel that they're wasted because they get no representation."

It would also benefit smaller parties who don't end up in the legislature at all; for example, if the Communist Party had one per cent of the vote, it might get a seat at the table.

Election results

Political science instructor Daniel Reeve said the B.C. Green Party might consider making a switch to proportional representationa bargaining tool when parties are asking them to work together.

"That seems like a lot to ask about a coalition, because there certainly would be members who would be like, 'This isn't a winning formula.' But maybe that's one of the cards that's on the table."

Political parties in power aren't always excited about the change because, in some cases, it might mean they'd end up with fewer seats.

A photo of a white-haired man with black glasses is seen next to a photo of a brown-haired man.
B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad, left, and B.C. NDP Leader David Eby are pictured on election night on Oct. 19, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

For example, he said, people in Western Canada often vote Conservative, but because of voting habits elsewhere in the country, the Liberals have been the governing party nationally for nine years. This, despite only receiving 33.1 per cent of the total votes in Canada in the last election, compared to the Conservatives' 34.4 per cent.

"[Justin Trudeau] might have ceased to be the prime minister in 2019 when he lost the popular vote," Beach said.

Voter impact

B.C. was "more polarized than ever" this election, according to Fair Vote Canada, a national campaign for proportional representation.

Voter choice and the perception of effective representation influenced the tone of the campaign, and the years leading up to it, Fair Vote argues.

"It is much harder for parties to divide the electorate in two and fuel voter rage against their opponents by hurling simplistic 'us vs. them'narratives when the ballot offers a rich variety of options," the campaign said in a statement onMonday.

A person's hand is seen inserting a black voter card into a machine.
A sample voter card being used to demonstrate the voting process as it's inserted into a new electronic tabulator that people can expect to see in most voting areas during this year's provincial election unveiled during a news conference at the Elections B.C. office in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

In B.C., 57 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballot in this election. That's up slightly from 54.5 per cent in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2017, 61.2 per cent of eligible British Columbians voted in the provincial election.

Beach said the declinecould be because some don't believe their votes matter.

"In places where they have a more democratic system, the turnout often is much higher, so I think that [proportional representation] would decrease polarization, in my opinion, because parties would naturally have to work together."

Clarifications

  • This story has been updated to clarify the outcome of three electoral reform referendums held in B.C.
    Oct 25, 2024 11:48 AM PT

With files from CBC Radio