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How Should We Elect our MLAs? Have Your Say | City Conversations

2018, Democracy, Series City Conversations

In October, British Columbians will vote on how we elect members of the B.C. Legislature. This month, the province is consulting voters on how October’s voting question should be presented.

Should we continue our current First Past the Post method (FPTP), or move to a proportional system? Should your MLA have to receive more than 50% of the total vote in your riding? That’s often not true in FPTP, where someone can win with as few as 30% of the votes. Or, should the views of most voters be represented, which proportional voting ensures? That can complicate the election system, and make it harder to hold MLAs responsible for their actions.

How we vote is central to how our democracy works. Your answers to the province’s questionnaire, available online through February 28, will help determine how the question is asked in October.

To help you decide which system you prefer, our Presenters are Suzanne Anton, former Attorney General of B.C.; David Moscrop, political scientist and SFU postdoctoral fellow; and Dr. Richard Johnston, Canada Research Chair in Public Opinion, Elections and Representation at UBC. Then it’s your turn to ask questions, make observations, offer your opinions. In one hour, you’ll know how you want to shape B.C.’s democratic future. As always, come early to ensure a seat, and please feel free to bring your lunch.

Then it’s time for your questions, observations and opinions. Please join us, and feel free to bring your lunch. It’s a conversation!

This SFU City Conversations is a presentation of SFU Public Sqaure, sponsored by SFU Vancouver and SFU's City Program.

Thu, 15 Feb 2018

12:30 p.m. (PT) 

SFU Vancouver at Harbour Centre
515 West Hastings St.
Fletcher Challenge Canada Theatre (Room 1900)

We respectfully acknowledge that this event takes place on the Unceded, Traditional, Ancestral Territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm First Nations.

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