Polls are now open in a historic vote in Prince Edward Island that could result in major changes to how the province elects its provincial government.

Islanders are being asked to vote Monday on a plebiscite that could see voting switch to a system with two ballots.

It's called Mixed Member Proportional, or MMP, and it would be a change from the current practice – in the province and across the country – where the candidate with the most votes wins.

This is often referred to as the first-past-the-post system. In races with more than two candidates, it can mean that more people voted for the other candidates, when combined, than voted for the winner.

The plebiscite asks voters: Should Prince Edward Island change to the Mixed Member Proportional System as presented by the Commission on P.E.I.'s Electoral Future?

The new system would see P.E.I. elect 17 members in 17 districts across the island in the usual first-past-the-post way.

Then there would be a second ballot. After this vote some of the legislature's seats would be decided in proportion to the votes cast.

Some 97,000 people are eligible to vote in the plebiscite.

As voting got underway on Monday, reports began surfacing about confusion over where to vote. There were 75 per cent fewer voting stations operating than in other elections.

At least 200 people contacted the office of the province's acting chief electoral officer, Lowell Croken, by early Monday.

"It's different than what past provincial elections were, so they're just looking for clarification on where to go," Croken told the Canadian Press.

Advanced polls were open last week and Elections P.E.I. says more than 2,000 people voted in advanced polls between last Saturday and Monday alone.

The results of the plebiscite are not binding, but the province's Premier Pat Binns has said he'll consider the province bound by the results if they meet certain criteria.

Binns has said in order to pass the Yes side needs 60 per cent of the votes, and majority support in at least 16 of the island's 27 electoral districts.

Polls opened at 9:00 a.m. local time and will stay open until 7:00 p.m.

A similar plebiscite was defeated in British Columbia in May. In that province, the measure received 57 per cent of the votes – three percentage points less than the 60 per cent majority required for it to become law.

British Columbia plans to hold a second referendum in 2008.