The Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform, (CAER) membership was made of of 161 British Columbia residents, randomly chosen from the provinces 79 electoral districts. The mandate of The Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform was to examine a variety of models for the election of members of the Legislative Assembly and to propose recommendations on whether British Columbia should keep its current system for provincial elections or whether it should adopt a new model. In September 2002, Gordon Gibson was appointed by the government to advise on the mandate and make up of a citizens assembly. Gibsons, Report on the Constitution of the Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform was completed on December 23, 2002. On April 30, 2003, The Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform was created. On May 16, 2003, Jack Blaney, former president of Simon Fraser University, was appointed to the chair of the CAER by the B.C. Legislature. The Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform held fifty public hearings in May and June of 2004. In addition, over 1430 individuals made 1603 written submissions to the Assembly. The deliberation sessions were held from September to November 2004. The adoption of a new voting system, called BCSTV or single transferable vote system was recommended. On May 17, 2005 a provincial referendum was held to allow citizens to vote on whether the BC-STV system should be adopted for use in provincial elections.