2011 Falkland Islands electoral system referendum
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A referendum on reforming the voting system was held in the Falkland Islands on 3 November 2011.[1] Voters were asked "Do you want a single constituency for the whole of the Islands?"[1] The proposal required a two-thirds majority in both of the islands' constituencies,[2] but was rejected by 58.78% of voters overall; in Stanley it was narrowly approved by 50.2% of voters but in Camp it was widely rejected, with 84% voting against.[2] Turnout was 70% in Camp and just 39% in Stanley.[2]
Background
Under section 27 of the Falkland Islands Constitution, any change to the constituencies on the islands must be supported in a referendum by at least two-thirds of the vote.[3]
The proposal to create a single constituency for the islands was a response to Camp being heavily over-represented in the Legislative Assembly, electing three of the eight seats (38% of the total), whilst the remaining five seats were elected from Stanley (62.5%).[1] In 2011 there were 262 voters (17%) in Camp and 1,315 (83%) in Stanley, meaning the current arrangements provided for one MLA for every 87 voters in Camp and one for every 263 in Stanley.[4]
Originally the two constituencies had had equal representation, but had been changed as the population of Stanley increased.[2] The proposal had already been put to voters in a referendum in 2001, and had been rejected.[1] A second referendum was approved by the Assembly on 26 August 2011 by a vote of four to three.[1]
Results
The question posed by the referendum was:
Do you want a single constituency for the whole of the Islands?[4]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 No
|
405 | 58.78 |
| Yes | 284 | 41.22 |
| Total votes | 689 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,571 | 43.86 |
| Source: [1] | ||
Results by constituency
| Region | No vote | No % | Yes vote | Yes % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley constituency | 253 | 49.8 | 255 | 50.2 |
| Camp constituency | 152 | 84.0 | 29 | 16.0 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Falkland-Inseln, 3. November 2011: Wahl in einem einzigen Wahlkreis Direct Democracy
- ^ a b c d Falkland Islands voters overwhelmingly reject single constituency proposal MercoPress, 4 November 2011
- ^ "Official text of the Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008" (PDF). falklands.gov.fk. 1 January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ a b Voting arrangements for Referendum of 3 November 2011 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Falkland Islands
