The coming territorial elections will differ from the norm as boundaries have been redrawn and Yukon electors will weigh in on how the vote is conducted in the future.
Political campaigns and promises aside, this year some Yukoners will find themselves in new ridings. All Yukoners will be given two ballots instead of one as the plebiscite on electoral reform is held: one ballot will ask voters to elect the candidate of their choice, whereas the other ballot will pose the question on electoral reform in the Yukon.
The exact wording of that question is yet to be released. However, the plebiscite will be asking Yukoners whether they want to change the voting system from first-past-the-post (wherein the candidate with the highest number of votes wins) to ranked vote (in which candidates are ranked by preference).
In a press release distributed on May 20, Elections Yukon stated that with a ranked vote, if the candidate with the most votes doesn’t receive more than half of the vote, the candidate with the least amount of votes is then taken off the table and their votes are reallocated to the given voter’s next preferred candidate. This process continues until at least one candidate has more than half of the votes, and is thus declared the winner for that riding.
With both first-past-the-post and ranked vote, voters are choosing a single candidate from their district to represent them in the legislature: the method of voting is what's different.
Neither system uses proportional representation, reads the release.
Proportional representation refers to a system in which members are voted into an electoral district based on the general percentage of popular vote that they receive, said Elections Yukon chief electoral officer Maxwell Harvey. He added that this could lead to changes in how electoral districts are designed; they might end up larger under such a system. However, he said, the option of proportional representation is not on the ballot.
Harvey explained that a plebiscite of this kind has not been held in the Yukon since the early 1900s, according to his research, but that they have been undertaken in other parts of Canada more recently.
The plebiscite comes out of the Yukon Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. The citizens’ assembly was made up of 38 people: two voters from each territorial riding. They presented a report to the Yukon legislature in October 2024, in which they recommended changing the current electoral system to the ranked vote.
The rationale behind the recommendation, as described in the report, was that the ranked vote system ensures more voter preferences are captured in the outcome of an election. A given candidate will also need broader support across a riding in order to win, as they must receive at least 50 per cent plus one of the vote to win.
They also recommended the question on the plebiscite read: “Do you support the adoption of a ranked vote system replacing the current system? Yes or No.”
Electoral boundaries have also been a topic of study and debate in recent years. Harvey noted that the new boundaries which took effect May 22 brought the number of electoral districts in the territory up from 19 to 21 and that 15 districts saw some changes.
Between the territorial elections, school board elections and plebiscite all coming up, Harvey said between 500 and 600 election workers will be needed. Yukoners interested in a role on election day can put their names forward to Elections Yukon now. They may be called to confirm availability closer to election day.
— With files from Jim Elliot
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
