Still holding on to that voting package? Referendum ballots due today

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – We’ve been reminding you about it for weeks. Now, the day is finally here.

Friday is your last chance to drop off ballot packages and have your say on how we elect provincial politicians in B.C.

As of Thursday morning, 40 per cent of voters had returned their ballots. You have until 4:30 p.m. Friday to get your vote in.

You can head to a Referendum Service office in Burnaby, Surrey, or Vancouver. There is also a complete list of those offices and Service BC centres online.

The referendum asks whether you would like to stick with the First Past the Post system or move to some form of proportional referendum.

NEWS 1130 spoke with one man just after he dropped off his voting package at Eagle Ridge Centre. He says he had some trouble figuring out where to go.

“They told me the area. I was looking for a sign, but I couldn’t find it,” he said.

He accidentally waited in line at a neighbouring medical lab before realizing he was in the wrong queue.

BC Liberal party leader Andrew Wilkinson says the way our democracy functions is on the line.

“If it turns out that some people didn’t really pay attention to this or didn’t understand the ballot — and other people were very active — that is an ongoing concern,” he said.

 

The Canada Post strike resulted in an extension to the deadline.

Maria Dobrinskaya, who speaks for Vote PR B.C., says volunteers have been working to educate voters on the ballot questions, but some people have been confused by the second question, which asks for a ranking of proportional representation systems.

RELATED: Undecided on ProRep? A questionnaire may help you

Elections BC says after the Friday afternoon deadline passes, we will have to wait a couple of weeks to learn the results.

If proportional representation is chosen, we will have another referendum after two elections to see if voters want to keep the system.