News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

Around the World | Current Affairs Commentary | Developments at the ERS | Your Questions Answered | Case Studies

Introducing the ERS General Election Results Hub

Every general election, sites like the BBC, Guardian and Telegraph present live updates of the general election results as they roll in. Yet, despite having the data in front of you, it’s often hard to see the warping effect of our broken...

Posted 09 Dec 2019

Woman using the ERS 2019 Results Hub

What is proportional representation?

Parties from across the political spectrum are lining up against Westminster’s voting system and calling for proportional representation, but what does that term mean? There are lots of different ways to decide who gets to...

Posted 06 Dec 2019

With PR, the number of MPs in parliament are ‘in proportion’ to the votes cast

STV: a 200-year quest for fair voting

This December, the UK we will be voting in yet another general election using First Past the Post – a system where one party can gain an overall majority of seats with only 35% to...

Posted 27 Nov 2019

Thomas Wright Hill

What is tactical voting and why is it bad for democracy?

In a Westminster election, tactical voting takes place when a voter chooses a candidate whom they wouldn’t normally support, in order to prevent another candidate from winning. For example, if you want to vote for...

Posted 12 Nov 2019

Voters shouldn’t have to change their behaviour to work around first past the post’s failings

What is a hung parliament?

Across the country, a total of 650 Members of Parliament are elected to the Commons, with one per constituency. Under Westminster’s first past the post electoral system each MP doesn’t need to be supported by...

Posted 06 Nov 2019

Hung parliaments aren't the problem Westminsters broken system is