Disappointing night for B.C. Greens

Last Updated: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | 10:31 PM PT

CBC News

Jane Sterk, leader of the Green Party of B.C., concedes defeat in her riding of Esquimalt-Royal Roads. (CBC)

Election night was sobering for the Green Party of B.C. — not a single candidate managed to capture a seat in the provincial legislature.

The party’s leader, Jane Sterk, finished third in her riding of Esquimalt-Royal Roads, capturing 17 per cent of the popular vote.

The riding was won by NDP candidate Maurine Karagianis, who took 53 per cent of the vote. Liberal Carl Edward Ratsoy received 30 per cent of the ballots.

Overall, the Green party received about eight per cent of the popular vote in the province, down slightly from the 2005 election.

The Greens didn’t manage to finish second in any ridings but did score double-digit support in 23 ridings.

Their biggest support came in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, where they captured 21 per cent of the vote, behind the Liberals at 54 per cent and the NDP at 25 per cent.

Support for the Greens was also notable in Penticton, where they tallied 16 per cent of the vote, and Vernon-Monashee, where they got 18 per cent.

The party also took 14 per cent of the vote in Shuswap.

B.C. Votes 2009

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Overall Results

Overall Election Results
Party	Elected	Leading	Total	Vote Share (%)
Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT
LIB	49	0	49	46.02
NDP	36	0	36	42.06
GRN	0	0	0	8.10
CON	0	0	0	2.11
OTH	0	0	0	1.72

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All results are unofficial until final ballot counts are verified by Elections B.C.

STV referendum overall results

Question: Which electoral system should British Columbia use to elect members to the provinical Legislative Assembly?

The existing system (First-Past-the-Post)
The single transferable vote electorial system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform

Electoral District Vote

BC-STV

First-Past-the-Post

51 RIDINGS

Ridings 7/85

Ridings 78/85

Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT

85/85 ridings reporting

Total Popular Vote

BC-STV

First-Past-the-Post

MAJORITY 60%

560,430 votes | 38.82%

883,259 votes | 61.18%

Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT

What it needs to win:

For the referendum to be binding, the approval level must be:

more than 50% of the votes in at least 51 of the province's 85 electoral districts, AND
at least 60% of the total popular vote, province-wide.

If the two thresholds are met, government is required to introduce legislation to implement BC-STV in sufficient time for it to be in place for the May 2013 General Election.

B.C. Votes Headlines

Huntington defeats Oppal in B.C. election recount: Independent candidate Vicki Huntington has defeated high profile B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Wally Oppal in the riding of Delta South in one of two provincial election recounts concluded on Tuesday.
Oppal falls behind in see-saw Delta South recount: B.C. Liberal Wally Oppal fell behind in Monday's initial recount of ballots cast in Delta South in the May 12 provincial election. Absentee votes will still need to be counted Tuesday before the final result will be announced Wednesday.
Record low voter turnout in B.C. election: Voter turnout in B.C.'s provincial election hit a record low on Tuesday, with only 50 per cent of eligible voters bothering to vote, a full eight percentage points less than the 58 per cent that voted in 2005.
Oppal awaits results of recount for Delta South seat: There will be an automatic recount in the Delta South riding after preliminary election results show star Liberal candidate Wally Oppal beat independent Vicki Huntington by a mere two votes.
Re-elected Campbell to focus on strengthening B.C.'s economy: Gordon Campbell says reviving the province's economy is his main task as he heads into a historic third straight term as the province's premier, but other issues — such as health care and the environment — are also on the agenda.

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B.C. Votes Features

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Headlines

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