A poll recently conducted by EKOS has found that a majority of British Columbians support proportional representation — at least in principle.Of the 1,019 respondents, 65% said parties' share of seats in the legislature should mirror their performance in the popular vote.According to the poll, British Columbians under the age of 35 were more likely than their older neighbours to agree with that statement, at 74% and 58%, respectively. Those who said they would vote for the BC Greens were also more supportive than BC NDP and BC Conservative voters.When broken down by region, support for the concept of proportional representation was highest in the Interior, 73%, than elsewhere in the province. In Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, for example, 59% said it was a good idea.The poll also asked whether "seats in each region of BC should accurately reflect the popular support for each party in that region." Three-in-four respondents agreed.Pollsters deliberately avoided using the term "proportional representation" in the questionnaire out of fears it had "become too politicized in the province.".In addition to questions regarding electoral reform, respondents were asked about democracy in general. Nine-in-ten said it was important that the system "encourages parties to find common ground and work together."Like many places that don't use proportional representation, BC has long been a two-party province. In the most recent election, the BC NDP and BC Conservatives dominated the legislature, securing nearly all the seats. In recent months, however, the third and fourth parties — the BC Greens and OneBC — have picked up steam, gaining more and more support.When asked whether a two-party system is "good or bad for the quality of democracy in BC," 67% said it was detrimental. Younger British Columbians, who make up the majority of the BC Greens support base, were more likely to say the status quo was "bad" for democracy. Meanwhile, just 54% of BC Conservative voters agreed.Shortly after the poll came out, BC's Democratic and Electoral Reform Committee released a report outlining 36 recommendations for the government. Among them was the establishment of a peoples' assembly to "examine and make recommendations, in consultation with experts, on the model for electing Members of the Legislative Assembly."
