In conclusion

The election system is something people feel passionately about. As our survey shows, there is ongoing debate of the wards/at-large question across North America, and a significant number of cities have changed or modified their election system in the past three decades.

Our research has found a wealth of arguments on both sides of the question. Proponents of each system tend to emphasize very different issues and in fact may be seen to be working from different value systems. Some people value at-large systems because of a perceived efficiency in decision-making; others would argue that such efficiency comes at the expense of representation.

As was said earlier in this report, cities are not laboratories and do not lend themselves to easy or conclusive measurement. The research we have reviewed and the results of our own survey do not suggest any clear superiority of one system or another in measurable terms.

In the end, measurement is probably beside the point. The debate will be based on values: how people feel about the type of representation they have and about the type of results that elections bring. We hope that by collecting the information in this report, Vancouverites will have a fact base they can use with confidence no matter what their value system, and a common vocabulary they can share no matter which point of view they support in the debate.

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Last Updated: June, 1996
(c) 1996 City of Vancouver

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