Secondary PowerPoint 6: Elections in British Columbia

Why do we have elections?

What is an election? An election is the selection process for determining our political representatives and the political direction of our government. Elections are contests of leadership, ideas, politics and power, where interested groups and individuals campaign for our support and, ultimately, our vote.

Candidates and Political Parties An individual who seeks public office or competes for the job of elected representative is called a candidate. At the federal level and the provincial level in B.C., most candidates are associated with a political party. Political parties bring together people with similar political views and goals who are seeking to effect change by being elected.

What is an electoral district? British Columbia is divided into 87 electoral districts (or ridings), which are defined geographic areas. The size of electoral districts is determined by factors such as population size, demographic make-up and geography. Urban electoral districts are often smaller and more populous, while rural electoral districts are larger with less dense populations.

An electoral system is the way in which voters express their preferences and the process for determining which candidates get to become representatives. Different electoral systems exist around the world.

What is our electoral system? British Columbia uses a system called First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) or Single-Member Plurality – where one member is elected per electoral district. The rules: Voters can only choose one candidate on their ballot The candidate that receives the most votes wins (this is called plurality)

How does First-Past-The-Post work? An example of FPTP, in an electoral district with 100 ballots cast: CANDIDATE NUMBER OF VOTES Lisa (Banana Party) 40 Mohamed (Pear Party) 15 Emma (Apple Party) 11 Thomas (Independent) 34 Lisa wins because she has the most votes (40). The winning candidate does not need a majority amount of support – just one more vote than any other candidate.

How do political parties work? Political parties are made up of interested members of the general public and their intention is to achieve power and create meaningful political change. Anyone above the required age (usually 14 years old) can join a party. Party members choose their party’s leader and candidates, and help them get elected. During elections, parties release a platform which is a series of policy ideas, strategies and solutions for specific issues.

There are 28 registered political parties in B.C.: BC Action Party BC Conservative Party BC Green Party BC NDP BC Refederation Party British Columbia Libertarian Party Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia Land Air Water Party The Vancouver Island Party Your Political Party of BC BC Cascadia Party BC Excalibur Party BC Liberals BC New Republican Party BC Social Credit Party British Columbia Party Communist Party of BC People's Front Unparty: The Consensus–Building Party BC Citizens First Party BC First Party BC Marijuana Party BC Progressive Party BC Vision British Columbia Peoples Party Cultural Action Party The Platinum Party of Employers Who Think and Act to Increase Awareness Work Less Party

Some candidates choose to run as an independent and they are not affiliated with any party. What do you think are the strengths and challenges of being an independent candidate or being a candidate associated with a political party?

If you were a candidate, how would you share your platform and ideas If you were a candidate, how would you share your platform and ideas? How would you try to gain the support of voters?

Candidates and parties use a communications strategy that incorporates all three types of media (paid, earned, owned) to share their platforms through announcements, advertising and events, and to gain support from constituents.

How does a party form government? The party that elects the most number of representatives usually forms government. At the provincial level, the leader of the party that forms government becomes the premier. After the 2013 provincial election, the BC Liberals formed government because they had won 49 out of 85 legislative seats.

2013 Provincial Election Results Political Party Candidates Elected Popular Vote British Columbia Liberal Party 49 44.1% British Columbia New Democratic Party 34 39.7% Green Party of British Columbia 1 8.2% British Columbia Conservative Party 4.8% Independent 2.4% Other affiliations 0.9% Source: Elections BC 15

2013 Provincial Student Vote Results Political Party Candidates Elected Popular Vote British Columbia Liberal Party 21 28.2% British Columbia New Democratic Party 53 38.5% Green Party of British Columbia 8 17.2% British Columbia Conservative Party 8.6% Independent 3 3.7% Other affiliations 3.8% 16

How did the Student Vote results compare to the general election results? Why do you think the results are different?

Debrief Which candidates are running for office in your electoral district? How can you find out? How can you learn about the candidates and the parties they represent? How should you evaluate the candidates? Would you ever run for election? Why or why not?