04/01/2026
We were very angry to hear today's announcement from the Premier's office about the new voting system he plans to impose on BC. Read the news story from the online newspaper The Ty-Yee below:
"Premier's Choice Voting" Coming Soon to BC
In a move that UBC political scientists are already calling “bold,” “audacious,” and “deeply post-democratic,” Premier David Ebee today announced his government’s plan to modernize BC’s electoral system. The new model – called “Premier’s Choice Voting” (PCV) – will preserve everything British Columbians love most about elections, just adding what Ebee calls “a few modest administrative improvements.”
“I’ve been taking heat for deciding on my own to deep-six the Special Committee [on Democratic and Electoral Reform]’s call to have voters figure out how to elect us politicians. In my defence, I was pretty traumatized by our last close call with changing to a fairer way of voting – I’m just not interested in that” said Ebee.
“But my critics have a point – we can't keep pretending, much as I'd like to, that the committee never met and recommended we continue to publicly discuss voting reform," Ebee explained. “So under my innovative Premier’s Choice Voting system, citizens will still go to the polls, mark their ballots, and feel that familiar sense of civic pride. The huge step forward for BC is that, rather than automatically declaring the candidate with the most votes elected, I will personally review the results and decide who actually gets each seat. This will ensure we maintain stability while reflecting the diverse interests of... well, me.”
Ebee dismissed critics who said the system lacks transparency or fairness. “That’s old-school thinking,” he said. “After reading the recent decisions in Fair Voting BC’s charter challenge case, it’s clear the courts have confirmed that our right to vote has nothing to do with the results of an election. As long as every British Columbian gets to drop a piece of paper in a box and see it counted, their democratic rights are fully respected. Whether that paper affects who’s elected is – legally speaking – irrelevant.”
Asked whether this marked a retreat from his earlier stated commitment to “strengthening democracy,” Ebee was unrepentant. “Well, I was certainly surprised that the Special Committee thought citizens should set the voting rules, especially since most of the members were from my own party – they should have known better. And an assembly would be such a distraction – imagine all the attention the media would give it – they wouldn’t have any time to focus on me. Then I remembered that Truedough decided it was actually his choice to make federally, so I realized I could do the same and settle the issue once and for all for BC.”
Fair Voting BC President Antony Hodgson reacted with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. “In a perverse way, you have to respect the Premier’s intellectual honesty here,” he said. “For twenty years we’ve been saying that First-Past-the-Post unfairly benefits the party in power, ignoring what voters actually want. Ebee is just making explicit what our voting system already does. His move is the logical next step in consolidating power.”
The Premier was careful to stress that opposition voices would still be represented. “Voters can trust me to name a few BC United and Green MLAs,” he said, “just to keep us honest and to preserve the illusion of debate. Maybe even one Conservative, depending on polling.”
Pollster Mario Cansako said early reaction was mixed. “When we asked British Columbians how they felt about Premier’s Choice Voting, 54% said they didn’t understand how it worked, 27% hadn't heard about it, and the rest said they’d support it if it ‘kept the other guys out.’ If that’s not a mandate, I don’t know what is.”
Ebee’s communications director defended the plan on efficiency grounds. “Former PM Kim Campbell once said, “an election is no time to discuss serious issues”, and voters rarely make the right choices anyway. The Premier’s approach streamlines democracy for the 21st century and makes sure we get the right outcome every time.”
Even longtime electoral reform skeptic Bill Teelman didn't object. “I’ve always said proportional representation is too complicated,” he said. “Premier’s Choice is dead simple: let the guy in charge sort it out. It keeps single-member ridings, wastes most votes, and ensures a strong NDP government in perpetuity. Honestly, I don’t see any downside.”
Rob Bottarel, a Green Party MLA and member of the Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform, sounded resigned. “When we ended our confidence and supply agreement with the NDP, we thought that might push them toward more collaboration and accountability,” he said. “Turns out we just freed up their schedule. I suppose if the Premier’s going to decide everything himself anyway, it’s nice that he might let me keep my job.”
Asked for any final thoughts, Hodgson sighed. “You have to be careful what you wish for. We asked for a citizens’ assembly to help us design a fair system. The problem is we ended up with an assembly of only one person. On the plus side, voters won’t need to stress anymore about how they’ll vote – it’ll be obvious to everyone that voting is largely for show, just as it’s actually always been under First-Past-the-Post.”
When pressed to explain why voters should still bother turning out under the new system, Ebee waxed philosophical. “Voting will remain an important exercise in hope,” he said. “People can feel good knowing they’ve participated in a process that’s fully constitutional and 100% compatible with recent judicial interpretations of the Charter. That’s democracy done right.” Flashing a grin, Ebee added: “Only a Fool would disagree.”
We'll keep you apprised of any actions we take in response to this distressing development!
Yours for a stronger democracy,
Antony Hodgson
President, Fair Voting BC
Image of BC Legislature by Sam https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BC-Legislative-Assembly-Chamber.jpg; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons
