A majority of B.C. voters have chosen to keep the province's current electoral system.
According to Elections BC results released Thursday, 61.3% supported first-past-the-post during this month's referendum on electoral reform, compared to 38.7% who voted in favour of proportional representation. More than 1.4 million voting packages were returned by the Dec. 7 deadline for a turnout of 42.6%.
"British Columbians have now spoken and chosen to stick with the current voting system," said NDP Premier John Horgan in a statement following the release of the results. "This referendum was held because we believe that this decision needed to be up to people, not politicians. While many people, myself included, are disappointed in the outcome, we respect people's decision."
B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver echoed Horgan's disappointment.
He said his party campaigned on proportional representation and remains "committed to the principle of representative democracy."
But not everyone in Victoria was disappointed with the final vote count.
BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson said the results sent "a clear message to the NDP and Greens that their self-serving referendum was not going to be tolerated."
Wilkinson was critical of the referendum throughout the ballot mail-in period, saying he was concerned with the projected low voter turnout. He added that holding the vote was just a way for the NDP to placate the Green Pary, their coalition partners in the legislature.
"This was a flawed process from the beginning as the NDP stacked the deck to satisfy the Green Party to remain in power," he said in a statement. "This was never about improving our democracy, it was always about power and control."
The results in the Tri-City ridings aligned closely with the rest of the province.
In Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, 65.67% of the 15,620 ballots cast were in favour of maintaining first past the post, while 63.24% opted for the status quo in Coquitlam-Maillardville. The percentage was 61.67% in Port Coquitlam and 59.73% in Port Moody. A total of 63,052 ballots were cast in the four Tri-City ridings.
During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Elections BC chief electoral officer Anton Boegman said it was too early to determine the exact cost of the referendum.
"Obviously, there are still bills that have to be paid," he said.
However, he noted that it is likely that the referendum will come in under the $14.6 million budgeted for the vote. The full details will be available in a report that will be released in the spring, he added.
