Councillors keep winning with less than a third of the vote – what can England and Wales learn from Scotland?Each week, usually on a Thursday, a number of local council by-elections take place around Britain. As with UK parliamentary by-elections, these take place when a representative either resigns or dies and there is a...Posted 23 Sep 2025
Norway’s election shows how multi-party politics doesn’t have to mean random resultsNorway went to the polls on 8 September for their general election. The Scandinavian country has now used proportional representation for over 100 years and the outcome of the election is a prime example of...Posted 10 Sep 2025
One year on from the General Election, the case for fair votes is stronger than everThe fourth of July marks one year since the General Election of 2024. That election saw the most disproportional outcome in United Kingdom (UK) electoral history, with Labour winning a landslide House of Commons majority...Posted 03 Jul 2025
Support for proportional representation hits record high according to new researchThe National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has, this week, published the latest findings from their British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey. The survey has been conducted almost every year since its launch in 1983 and...Posted 25 Jun 2025
Are we going to see Mayors elected with even lower levels of public support in 2025?Four Combined Authority mayors will be elected on 1 May 2025, but changes to the rules could see mayors taking power with little public support locally. Voters are going to the polls in the following...Posted 24 Apr 2025
First Past the Post has played havoc with Canadian federal electionsEarlier this year, we wrote about Justin Trudeau’s regret at failing to deliver electoral reform during his near decade as Canada’s Prime Minister, despite first coming to power with a manifesto commitment to end First...Posted 24 Apr 2025
First Past the Post again set to produce random results at English local electionsWith four weeks to go before English local authority elections, which will be held on 1 May 2025, this week saw the announcement of candidates for each of the divisions or wards where local councillors...Posted 03 Apr 2025
Exploring the proportional outcome of Germany’s 2025 Federal electionWith around 84.5 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous country in western Europe. A German Federal election, where representatives are elected to the Bundestag (Germany’s national parliament), is therefore always an important event. From...Posted 24 Feb 2025
English devolution and local government reorganisation highlight need for PR at local levelAngela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, has announced the latest stage of the UK government’s plans for devolution and local government re-organisation within England. Six...Posted 11 Feb 2025
How Trudeau missed the opportunity for electoral reform in CanadaAt the beginning of 2025, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced his decision to resign. He will stay in office until March 2025, when the Liberal Party selects a new leader, who will also...Posted 29 Jan 2025