Short, long, or in-between: How long do parliaments last? Regular elections are a core part of any democracy, but how regular should they be? There has been a lot of variety on what the right length is, both around the world and in the... Posted 25 Aug 2023
First Past the Post locks many talented people out of politics This week, Politics Home reported that Regional Tories Are Snubbing Parachuted MP Candidates In Favour Of “Local Champions”. It seems that number of Conservative candidates with a background in local government is increasing at each... Posted 11 Aug 2023
Where are the policies for renters? First Past the Post keeps the focus on homeowners With the current cost-of-living crisis and soaring interest rates, mortgages and mortgage holders are all anybody can talk about, including our political parties. Posted 28 Jul 2023
Should the ERS look at the rules for… Tennis? As tennis players line up for the Wimbledon semi-finals, and candidates hit the doorstep for multiple by-elections, we’ve been thinking about how useful sporting analogies are when it comes to politics. As, when you think... Posted 14 Jul 2023
Welsh Government to introduce progressive electoral reforms Last week in the Senedd, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the Welsh Government’s plans for legislation for the next year. This covered eight new bills which the government hopes will become law. There was a... Posted 06 Jul 2023
Hundreds of activists gather to tell MPs to Sort the System Support for proportional representation is growing. In the past few months, we’ve seen more and more people saying it’s time for change – the result of widespread concern that Westminster politics isn’t working for ordinary... Posted 26 May 2023
Time for a key change? How we would reform Eurovision voting Eurovision is upon us once again – everyone’s favourite flamboyant celebration of Europe’s musical talent. With quite a few ERS staff members being unashamed superfans, we thought it would be a great excuse to take... Posted 12 May 2023
Greece changes electoral law, then changes it back Greece is holding their 2023 elections on 21 May, following protests and delays caused by the deadliest rail crash in Greek history on 28 February. The crash won’t be the only thing that might impact... Posted 21 Apr 2023
Local Elections: Frequently Asked Questions In the run-up to the May local elections we often hear the same questions being asked by concerned voters. We thought we’d collect together the answers for some of the most frequently asked questions, we... Posted 17 Apr 2023
Why did the Netherlands adopt nationwide proportional representation? The Dutch prioritised proportionality above all else when creating their system of proportional representation; choosing a single nationwide constituency and a very low threshold. This is different to most countries which try to balance local... Posted 01 Apr 2023