Proportional representation would end the scourge of tactical voting The losses in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton, where the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000 Conservative majority, were both the result of declining support for Johnson’s government, but also it would appear, the result of widescale tactical voting.... Posted 03 Jul 2022
Jersey’s new electoral system has first outing Two years ago, the Electoral Reform Society looked at the island of Guernsey’s new voting system where voters had to choose up to 38 candidates in a single island-wide ‘thirty-eight past the post’ election. But... Posted 23 Jun 2022
Do all countries have by-elections? Filling parliamentary vacancies around the world This Thursday (23rd June), voters in the constituencies of Tiverton and Honiton, and Wakefield go to the polls in by-elections caused by the scandal-related resignations of their previous MPs. By-elections allow voters to pick a... Posted 21 Jun 2022
The UK’s biggest union just passed a motion in support of proportional representation Delegates at UNISON’s National Delegate Conference have just backed a motion calling on the UK’s biggest union to ‘reject First Past the Post’ and for the adoption of PR for UK general elections. The vote,... Posted 17 Jun 2022
A big victory on Senedd reform When Ron Davies described the idea of devolution as a ‘process not an event’ back in 1999 he had little idea his words would come to describe a quarter of a century of reform in... Posted 16 Jun 2022
How do elections work for France’s parliament, the French National Assembly? Fresh from re-electing Emmanuel Macron as president on 24 April 2022, French voters are now returning to the polls on the 12 and 19 June to elect a new parliament. Historically, presidential and legislative elections... Posted 30 May 2022
How do elections work in Australia? British voters may have to wait up to five years for a general election, but, for Australians, the opportunity comes no later than every three. On Saturday 21st May, Australia’s House of Representatives and roughly... Posted 15 May 2022
How do elections work in the German States? Fresh off the heels of voters in Germany’s northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein, this Sunday 15th May it is North-Rhine Westphalia’s turn to elect their state parliament or Landtag. With a population just shy of 18... Posted 09 May 2022
Voters’ views warped across England and Wales as First Past the Post holds back elections Elections happened across the UK yesterday, with polls in Northern Ireland Assembly and local elections for all of Scotland and Wales plus large parts of England. Voters in Northern Ireland and Scotland used fair, proportional... Posted 06 May 2022
Making the case for STV in England – our local elections campaign Over the last few months the ERS has been building interest in how STV can make the UK’s politics fairer by highlighting the success of the system where it is currently used in the country.... Posted 06 May 2022