Electoral reform vote in B.C. includes $500,000 each for pro and con groups

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government has set out the rules for its referendum on electoral reform and they include giving the designated opponent and proponent groups $500,000 each to get their message out.

A mail-in ballot referendum will take place between Oct. 22 to Nov. 30, and will ask two questions about what system voters would prefer for provincial elections.

The government says in a news release that it has adjusted the ballot questions based on recommendations from the chief electoral officer, and will now ask: which system should B.C. use for provincial elections and if B.C. adopts proportional representation, which type of system do you favour?

Voters will choose between the current first-past-the-post system and proportional representation, and if they pick the latter, they will be asked to rank their preference for three kinds of proportional voting.