One year on from the General Election: What we’ve learnt about Westminster’s warped voting system A year ago this Saturday, the polls opened on the first December election for over ninety years. At the time this felt like an unusual bookend to an unusual parliamentary term, which had culminated in... Posted 11 Dec 2020
What is the government’s proposed Democracy Commission? By Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. During last year’s general election, the government pledged that, in its first year, it would set up a ‘Constitution,... Posted 07 Dec 2020
Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform Society It’s hard to think of a more troubling year in living memory. But the public health crisis has, perhaps counter-intuitively, put issues of democracy at the forefront. The election may feel like a distant memory,... Posted 07 Dec 2020
ERS in the Press – November 2020 In a month dominated by coronavirus and a second national lockdown in England as well as Brexit negotiations, democratic issues have still been in the news and we’ve continued to be at the forefront of... Posted 02 Dec 2020
20 years since the Electoral Commission was founded, our watchdog needs more clout Monday 30th November marks the 20th Anniversary of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. In 2000, just 30% of people had internet access at home. Facebook was years from conception. Today, campaigners spend millions each election... Posted 25 Nov 2020
These US states voted to make elections fairer In the past two weeks, the flaws of the US electoral system have become plain for all to see. As the dust slowly settles, it’s worth looking at some results that aren’t the presidential race.... Posted 13 Nov 2020
Today the government can bring in the ‘missing millions’ excluded from electoral roll Today MPs have a chance to bring in millions of young people to the electoral register and we’re joining with leading youth groups and campaigners to urge them to take it. MPs will be debating... Posted 10 Nov 2020
How Holyrood can close the lobbying loopholes – and stand up for transparency Scotland’s lax transparency rules are leaving voters in the dark about the scale and nature of political lobbying, a coalition of campaigners has told MSPs. The argument was made by the Scottish Alliance for Lobbying... Posted 09 Nov 2020
In both the US and Britain, millions are silenced by a broken electoral system First published in the i newspaper While President Trump looked hopefully at a path to re-election on Tuesday night, one fact offered a little consolation to Democrats: they were winning the popular vote. But in... Posted 06 Nov 2020
When it comes to fair votes, the US Senate is ripe for reform If seats are ever to match votes in America, the US will need to look at the distorted Senate. While all eyes are firmly fixed on the race for the White House and, if you’re... Posted 02 Nov 2020