It's a ranked ballot. Vote Dew, too!

Whether this is your first time voting in a BC Liberal leadership contest or your fourth, it’s important to understand how it works so you can plan ahead for voting on February 3-5.

The vote is based on a ranked ballot. That means that when you fill out your ballot, you don’t just vote for your top choice - you can vote for your second and third preferences, or you can even rank all seven candidates from first to last.

How are we doing? Please click here to let me know where I stand on your ballot so far.

After everyone’s first choices are counted, someone could “win on the first round” by getting more than 50% of the points, but that rarely happens. It took five rounds of counting in the last leadership contest, so make sure you fill your ballot out all the way!

After the first count, the bottom-ranking candidate “drops off” for the next round of counting. If that candidate happens to be your first choice, the silver lining is that you can still help choose our next leader. Everyone who voted for the bottom-ranking candidate has their second choice vote counted, and the results are recalculated with the remaining candidates. That process gets repeated, with the bottom-ranking candidate dropping off every time, until someone gets more than 50% of the points.

The point of a ranked ballot is to make sure as many members as possible have a hand in choosing our next leader. It also forces candidates and campaigns to think seriously about how to broaden their appeal - and our party’s - across as wide a spectrum of people as possible.

That’s a good thing, because it’s vitally important that after we choose a new leader, we move forward together. That’s why we’ve built my campaign on reaching across the full geographical, political, and generational spectrum of our party and province - with a message of renewal, optimism, and unity.

I’m committed to the future of our party. I’m asking you to vote for me as your first choice, but if not I’ll be proud to be your second choice.

Vote Dew, Too!

Why?

• Kevin Falcon might be your first choice because he’s got a track record getting taxpayer dollars out the door to get big government projects built. When he ran for leader in 2011 it was as "a new generation of leadership.” A decade later, I represent a new generation of leadership - and I’ve spent my career helping navigate billions of dollars in major private sector project investments to grow our economy and unlock thousands of local jobs. I’ve built strong relationships across the business community in the process, and I’ll bring the next generation and the next industries into our coalition. If Kevin has your first vote, I’m asking for your second.
• Ellis Ross is an unapologetic champion for rural British Columbians and for BC’s traditional primary industries. His superpower is authenticity. He’s the heart of LNG. I grew up in the Lower Mainland, but I’ve worked across BC and Canada to get big projects like Trans Mountain built, to break down the urban/rural divide, and to build awareness and understanding of how our responsible resource sector benefits all of BC. I’ve talked more than any other candidate about rural communities and rural representation. If Ellis becomes leader, I’ll work with him to fill the gaps and win over urban BC. If he’s your first choice, I hope to be your second.
• Michael Lee is a smart and thoughtful family man whose message is focused on ensuring the integrity of the BC Liberal Party and broadening our appeal – both are critical. Doing things right is important to me, too - I focused my MBA research on how corporate social responsibility can help us get to yes on projects and investments. And I’ve worked hard for years to welcome new, diverse, and younger people into our party. If Michael is your first choice, please vote for Dew, too.
• Renee Merrifield has decades of experience developing homes. She has put her focus on our healthcare system, which is something I’m also passionate about, having worked with startup companies developing telemedicine and diagnostics. Renee was an early voice for the importance of rapid testing for COVID-19. Of all the leadership candidates, I’ve been the most aggressive and consistent critic of the NDP’s haphazard pandemic response - you can read about my call for a public inquiry here. If Renee is your first choice, please vote Dew #2.
• Val Litwin has been a progressive voice for small business, having spent 4 years leading the BC Chamber of Commerce and 4 months on Premier Horgan’s economic recovery task force in the early days of COVID-19. I’ve advised, run, sold, and invested in small businesses, including in tech, and I’m proud to have served on the board of the Business Council of BC and the policy council of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, as well as having dealt with local Chambers of Commerce around economic benefits and procurement opportunities on major projects. If Val is your pal, please vote for Dew, too.
• Stan Sipos has called Victoria home for much of his life, and his presence in the race gives people on the Island a reason to pay attention. I’ve been talking about Island and Coastal ridings more than any other candidate: we need to stop surrendering the Island. Stan has talked about seniors issues, and I’m proud to have raised issues like elder abuse and put forward concrete ideas to help seniors. If Stan is your man, please vote for Dew, too!

As you can see, there are fantastic candidates running in this race. That shows that it’s a prize worth winning: a great party worth leading. We’re going to win the next election and form a new government for the people of British Columbia.

Now more than ever, BC is counting on us to get the job done, and the decision we make together in choosing a committed new leader to move our party forward is critical.

Thank you for doing your part!