While the federal government’s effort at election reform has stalled, the City of Kingston is pushing forward with a plan to revamp how municipal politicians are elected.

City council on Tuesday night approved $25,000 to mount an education campaign to inform residents how a ranked ballot system works.

The campaign is meant to inform voters ahead of a planned referendum on election in the 2018 municipal election.

In a ranked ballot system, also known as a preferential voting system, instead of voting only for a single candidate, electors can rank the candidates in order of preference.

The ranked ballot system, if approved by the referendum, would be in place for the 2022 municipal election.

“A ranked ballot election represents a significant change for candidates, election administrators and the electorate,” a report to city council stated. “It is a fundamental departure from the current system of first past the post and is not currently used in any Canadian elections.”

So far, only the city of London has opted to use the ranked ballot system in next year’s election.

The city’s education campaign is to make sure voters know about the referendum question, know how a ranked ballot system works and how much it costs, and provide any information they may need to make their decision.

elferguson@postmedia.com