The New Brunswick Commission on Electoral Reform is recommending the province lower its voting age to 16, adopt a preferential ballot — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s preferred voting system — and consider a form of proportional representation in the future.

In a report released Friday, the five-member Commission, which began its work in November, argued a preferential ballot would be a “modest, pragmatic choice for reform.”

Under a preferential ballot, voters rank candidates. If a candidate doesn’t win 50 per cent plus one of the vote on the first count, the candidate with the lowest first-vote preferences is eliminated; that candidate’s votes are then redistributed among the remaining candidates, and the process continues until there’s a winner.

“Election results are more legitimate as they are more closely reflecting the preferences of voters. It encourages candidates to use moderation with other candidates as they court voters for their support as the first preference. To avoid vote-splitting in a multi-race situation, candidates will also have to seek support for second preference in addition to first preference from voters,” the commission argues.

“It creates an incentive for parties to be cognizant that there are other candidates whom a majority may prefer. A Preferential Ballot levels the playing field for all candidates.”

Though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated his preference for a preferential ballot, the federal special committee on electoral reform didn’t recommend it in its December 1 report.

On the voting age, the report noted young New Brunswickers are becoming increasingly more involved in their communities.

“The commission heard loud and clear the pleas to continue the journey of removing barriers for those who are fighting for their right to vote. The commission believes New Brunswick has an opportunity to be a nationwide leader on this topic,” the report says.

“By lowering the voting age to 16, New Brunswick would signal to these individuals that their voices and their opinions matter.”

The report doesn’t rule out considering some form of proportional voting system in the future, but suggests that be looked at during the electoral boundary redistribution process.

It also recommends against electronic voting until security concerns can be worked out.

“Security breaches could jeopardize the integrity of the voting process and lead to compromised election results. Cybersecurity cannot be guaranteed, at least not in the foreseeable future,” the report says.

“To be fully confident in an online voting system, New Brunswick must ensure this system can provide election results that the electorate can trust. Without this, democracy is at risk.”