2009 electoral reform referendum

A referendum on electoral reform will be held in Ibagli on 18 June 2009. It will determine the method of election to the House of Commons, the lower (but more powerful) chamber of the Parliament of Ibagli.

Background

In 2005, the Liberal government headed by Vincent McNeese introduced a bill to change the electoral system in Ibagli. Previously, all members of the House of Commons had been selected via a plurality voting (or first past the post) system. In this system, electoral districts are represented by a single member of the House. The winner is the candidate receiving the largest number of votes, whether or not this number represents a majority of votes cast.

The new system was a parallel voting system that maintained plurality voting for half of the seats in the House of Commons. The other half were selected using wp:party-list proportional representation. The bill was criticized by the Conservative opposition as being rushed and prone to causing confusion and ineffective governments.

The first election in which the new system was in force was the January 2006 General Election. The election produced a situation in which no party won a majority of the seats, though the Liberals won a plurality of the seats. New Conservative leader Marcus Smallegan was selected by Governor-General Dame Annette Farquhar to create a coalition government with the Conservatives. This government fell by one vote on its first vote of confidence. The Governor-General then selected Liberal leader Roger Pollack to lead a coalition government with the Green Party. The coalition fell apart in June, but the Pollack government lasted until October, when it was defeated on a vote of confidence.

The second election under the new system was held in November 2006. It produced a Conservative majority. In its October 2008 throne speech, the government announced that a referendum would be held on the electoral system. The referendum would allow Ibaglians to choose which electoral system they wished to use in future elections.

The act enabling the referendum was given royal assent in March 2009. On 19 April, the Chief Electoral Officer announced that the referendum will be held on 18 June. All general and local election polling stations will be open.

Language

The text of the question is as follows:

Which electoral system should Ibagli use in future elections for members of the House of Commons?

• Option 1: The former electoral system, used until 2004, in which all members are elected by a plurality of voters in electoral districts
• Option 2: The current electoral system, introduced in 2006, in which half of the members are elected by a plurality of voters in electoral districts and half are selected via proportional representation