OneCity on voting: a ranked ballot for mayor and a citizens' assembly by 2030
OneCity says it would bring in an instant runoff ranked ballot for mayor, use new voting methods such as proportional representation, and support a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform that would recommend a proportional, ward or hybrid system before the 2030 election.
A PLAN TO FIX THE BUDGET & MAKE YOUR VOTE MATTER
Make Your Vote Matter: what the Our Plans says
The last part of OneCity's budget and ballot plan, released on September 29, 2026, is about how Vancouver votes. The party says it wants each ballot to reflect who a neighbourhood wants to lead the city, and it names well-funded campaigns as the problem. The first commitment is an instant runoff ranked ballot for mayor. Voters would rank candidates in order, and if no one has a majority, the last-place candidate is dropped and those votes move to the next choice. The party also commits to new voting methods such as proportional representation, where seats match each party's share of the vote.
To get there, OneCity would support a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, a group of residents chosen to study the question, which would recommend a proportional, ward or hybrid system ahead of the 2030 election. Vancouver now elects its whole council at large, so every voter chooses from the full list of candidates. Vancouver's election rules are written in the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law. The city has had to ask the Province to change other election rules in it, so a new voting system would need the Province to act.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Election OneCity wants a new voting system recommended ahead of
The party's figure3 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
An instant runoff ranked ballot for mayor
OneCity commits to an instant runoff ranked ballot for mayor, in which voters rank candidates and votes move to the next choice until one candidate has a majority.
- Who has the power
- Province Vancouver's election rules are set in the Vancouver Charter, which only the Province can change.
New voting methods such as proportional representation
The party commits to new voting methods, such as proportional representation, so that ballots reflect who each neighbourhood wants to lead the city.
- Who has the power
- Province Changing how council is elected would need the Province to amend the Vancouver Charter.
A Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform
OneCity would support a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform to recommend a proportional, ward or hybrid system to improve diversity and representation, ahead of the 2030 election.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Council can set up an assembly to study the question, but putting its recommendation into effect would need the Province.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about make your vote matter
Does OneCity support ranked ballots in Vancouver?
Yes. OneCity commits to an instant runoff ranked ballot for mayor, where voters rank candidates and votes move to the next choice until someone has a majority (OneCity budget and ballot plan, September 29, 2026).
Would OneCity bring in wards or proportional representation in Vancouver?
OneCity would support a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform that would recommend a proportional, ward or hybrid system ahead of the 2030 election. The party also commits to new voting methods such as proportional representation (OneCity budget and ballot plan, September 29, 2026).
Can Vancouver change its voting system without the Province?
No. Vancouver's election rules are in the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law, and the city has had to ask the Province to change other election rules in it. OneCity's ranked ballot and new voting methods would need the Province to act (OneCity budget and ballot plan, September 29, 2026).
What is a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform?
It is a group of residents chosen to study how the city should vote and make a recommendation. OneCity says its assembly would recommend a proportional, ward or hybrid system ahead of the 2030 election (OneCity budget and ballot plan, September 29, 2026).
When would OneCity change how Vancouver elects its council?
OneCity sets the 2030 election as its target for a recommendation from a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. Any change would also need the Province to amend the Vancouver Charter (OneCity budget and ballot plan, September 29, 2026).
ON THE BALLOT
The OneCity candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- OneCity Announces its Plan to Fix the Budget & Make Your Vote Matter SAYS SO ITSELFOneCity · published · checked
- City of Vancouver report on the 2018 election review, December 15, 2020 (archived copy), showing election rules set in the Vancouver Charter and changes requested from the Province City of Vancouver · checked