If ranked ballots are to be used in the next municipal election, city council will have to make a decision Monday night.
Council is set to decide at Monday night's meeting whether or not to do away with the first past the post voting system for the 2018 election, and implement a ranked balloting system. The province had set a May 1 deadline for any municipality to decide whether to use ranked ballots in the next election.
A ranked ballot takes into consideration the second and third (or more) choices of a voter. In the event a leading candidate doesn't get 50% of the vote, the last place candidate is taken out and their votes re-allocated to the remaining candidates, based on the second choices on those ballots. Supporters of a ranked ballot system point out that it makes sure the winner has the support of the majority of voters. They also suggest it would discourage negative campaigning.
Councillors will receive a staff report at Monday's meeting that outlines the results of an online survey. The survey asked if voters would prefer choosing one candidate or three. The results showed 52% picked one candidate, while 48% said three.
It also asked if voters were in favour of changing to a ranked choice ballot for the 2018 election. Half of the respondents said yes, while 44% said no and 6% weren't sure.
