A new initiative looking to adopt a ranked ballot system to Toronto’s electoral system just got one step closer to approval at Queen’s Park on Thursday.

Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter tabled a private member’s bill that would allow Toronto to adopt a ranked voting system - where voters rank candidates in order of preference - instead of the current “first-past-the post” system.

Bill 166 passed second reading on Thursday afternoon and will now be sent to the legislature’s social policy committee for further study.

The campaign to introduce a ranked ballot system was first launched by Ranked Ballot Initiative Toronto, an online group that has been pushing for the new system since 2012.

In a ranked balloting system, voters rank candidates in order of preference.

If no one candidate receives an immediate majority during the first round of elections, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated from the race.

A second round of voting occurs and the voter’s second choice is automatically transferred to the remaining contenders.

The process continues with subsequent rounds until a candidate gains more than 50 per cent of the vote.

In the current “first-past-the-post” system, voters choose one candidate on their ballot for each available position and the person with the most votes is declared the winner.

The group claims the current system is flawed and allows a candidate to win an election even if they have less than 50 per cent of the vote.

Advocates say a ranked system would ensure majority support of a candidate.

Proponents say such a system would also eliminate the risk of vote-splitting, curb negative campaigning tactics and reduce strategic voting.

The group is proposing an incremental timeline that would allow voters and candidates to get accustomed to the new system and has received support from numerous Toronto city councillors including Karen Stintz, Adam Vaughan and Paul Ainslie.

If passed, the new voting system would not be applicable to upcoming elections in the Fall but would take effect during municipal elections in 2018.

Supporters of the campaign took to Twitter on Thursday to celebrate their victory.

All of Canada’s political parties currently use the ranked ballot system to choose their leaders and nominate local candidates. Cities across the U.S. including San Francisco and Minneapolis have also recently adopted the ranked ballot system.

Ranked Ballot Initiative Toronto says the next step will be for Toronto City Council to vote on the bill in the summer.