Under the current Single Member Plurality system each electoral district elects a single candidate to the BC government. The candidate that receives the most votes (the 'plurality') is elected.
This system has good local representation (i.e., your elected representative lives reasonably close to where you live), but is not very proportional (i.e., in 2001 the Liberal party won 97% of the seats with only 58% of the popular vote).
2001 Election Results
In 2004 the BC Citizens' Assembly proposed that we use a Single Transferable Vote electoral system. This system would be more proportional but have less local representation, and counting ballots after the election would be more complicated.
BC held a referendum on the issue on May 19, 2005. The proposal received 57.7% approval — 2.3% short of the required 60% threshold. Since it was so close, the government decided to create official BC-STV district boundaries and hold the referendum again in 2009.
How BC-STV Works
Neighbouring SMP districts get combined to make larger STV districts. The total number of elected officials remains the same, so each of the new districts will elect multiple candidates. An STV district that combines three SMP districts will elect three candidates, etc.
Rather than voting for one candidate, you list your preferences. Your ballot helps several candidates get elected. This is done by slicing your ballot up like a piece of pie and giving part of your vote to each of the candidates that you listed, as described below.
If your first choice gets more votes than they need to win, then part of your vote (the "surplus") goes to your second choice. If your second choice also wins, they will take only what they need and the remainder goes to your third choice (and so on until your vote has been divided amongst all the candidates that you listed).
If your first choice is eliminated, then all of your vote goes to your second choice.
If your second choice has already won or been eliminated, then your vote goes to your third, fourth, or fifth choice.