Next Prince Edward Island electoral reform referendum

Electoral System Referendum
Should Prince Edward Island change its voting system to a mixed member proportional voting system?
Location Prince Edward Island
Date On or before October 7, 2019 (2019-10-07)

A referendum on electoral reform will be held on or before October 7, 2019 in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. The referendum will occur at the same time as the 66th provincial election.

Background

A referendum on the issue was held 27 October to 7 November 2016. That referendum asked which of five voting systems residents would prefer to use in electing members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.[1][2][3] The referendum, after four instant run-off rounds, indicated mixed member proportional representation was the preferred choice with over 52% support on the final ballot.[4]

Premier Wade MacLauchlan said after the vote that he is doubtful the result of the referendum "can be said to constitute a clear expression of the will of Prince Edward Islanders" due to the unusually low turnout.[5] As the result of political pressure, MacLauchlan's government introduced a motion in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island to hold another referendum on electoral reform at the next provincial general election, stating that the low turnout for the referendum did not provide a mandate to implement the change and the need for a more specific referendum question with two choices.[6][7] A motion by Green Party leader Peter Bevan-Baker to implement mixed-member proportional representation in line with the referendum results was defeated on November 22, 2016 by a vote of 6–20.[8]

On June 12, 2018, legislation governing the new referendum passed in the legislature.[9][10]

Referendum question and threshold

The Electoral System Referendum Act passed by the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island on June 13, 2018 sets the referendum question as:[11]

Should Prince Edward Island change its voting system to a mixed member proportional voting system?

  • No
  • Yes

(According to the Act, "No" will appear on the referendum ballot above "Yes")

In order for the referendum to pass, it must be approved by a majority of voters in at least 60% of the province's 27 provincial electoral districts.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Rob (7 July 2016). "PEI sets voting-reform plebiscite for fall". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  2. ↑ McKenna, Peter (21 September 2016). "Electoral reform in P.E.I. redux". Charlottetown, PEI: The Guardian Charlottetown. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Campbell, Kerry (16 April 2016). "P.E.I. electoral reform: 4 unanswered questions about the plebiscite". CBC. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ↑ Bradley, Susan (8 November 2016). "P.E.I. plebiscite results favour mixed member proportional representation". CBC News. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Sinclair, Jesara (8 November 2016). "Premier calls plebiscite results 'debatable,' cites low turnout". CBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Motion No. 80, Democratic renewal: a clear question and a binding vote". www.assembly.pe.ca. Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.
  7. ↑ Wright, Teresa (22 November 2016). "Motion urging P.E.I. government to honour electoral reform vote defeated". The Guardian. Charlottetown. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Motion No. 54 , Plebiscite on electoral reform". www.assembly.pe.ca. Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.
  9. ↑ "Much-amended P.E.I. referendum legislation passes". CBC News. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  10. ↑ Ross, Ryan (June 13, 2018). "Liberals vote to support P.E.I. referendum bill". The Guardian. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "PEI poised for battle over electoral reform". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
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