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Three reasons are important:

1. Campaign strategy matters greatly.

2. Clarity tops confusion.

3. Strategic advertising moves opinions.

Here’s what happened.

Just after the provincial election in May of 2017, pollsters Ipsos found that 54 per cent of respondents wanted to change to a proportional representation electoral system, while just 20 per cent supported our current First Past The Post system and 26 per cent were undecided.

By May 2018, the Angus Reid Institute polling found that 57 per cent of respondents wanted to change from our First Past the Post electoral system to some form of Proportional Representation, with just 43 per cent in favour of FPTP.

But that was before any campaigning started and before the government announced in June 2018 the ballot question and outlined that not one but three different forms of proportional representation would be voted on – two of which did not exist anywhere in the world.

And that changed everything.

Prior to the official campaign period starting July 1, both sides began vigorous efforts to influence public opinion – but with very different approaches.

As a lifelong New Democrat, I was happy to accept an offer from Suzanne Anton, the former B.C. Liberal attorney general, to join me, along with our neutral colleague from the past two referenda, retired ex-deputy minister Bob Plecas. As the three Society directors we were ably aided by veteran political strategist and fundraiser Jess Ketchum and our campaign coordinator Kent Verge, with experience in provincial and federal elections.