British Columbia's voters have soundly rejected electoral reform, defeating the proposed shift to a proportional representation system by a wide margin. In order to pass, the referendum needed to pass in 51 ridings. It succeeded in only a handful. The measure also would have needed to receive 60 per cent of the ballots cast, but got only 39 per cent of the votes. This form of proportional representation is known as the single-transferable-vote system, which in B.C. has been dubbed BC-STV for short. Political commentator David Mitchell told CBC News that the defeat of the STV measure would probably kill electoral reform for a generation, not only in British Columbia but also in the rest of Canada. Other provinces have also put forward referendums on proportional representation but none have passed. This was the second time in four years British Columbians have had a chance to fundamentally transform the way provincial politicians are elected. In the 2005 referendum, nearly 58 per cent voted in favour of adopting the new system. But by law, more than 60 per cent of voters must approve the new system for it to pass. Because the result was so close last election — but so many people said they did not understand the issue — the government decided to hold the referendum again.
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