Unlike the UK, Ireland’s voting system can cope with changing voter preferences When Ireland goes to the polls for its general election, on Friday 29 November, it will mark over 100 years of elections using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) form of proportional representation for the Irish... Posted 28 Nov 2024
Over 100 MPs join new parliamentary group supporting electoral reform for Westminster Today sees the launch of a new parliamentary group on electoral reform, which is upping the pressure on the government to take action on the UK’s failing electoral system. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for... Posted 25 Nov 2024
Could Trump lose the popular vote for the third time but secure a second term as President? Before the last US Presidential election, in 2020, we asked whether it was possible for Donald Trump to again lose the popular vote but win the Presidency, as he had done in 2016. Although this... Posted 05 Nov 2024
Surprising Conservative leadership vote shows that voting systems matter James Cleverly must have thought he was in with a chance of winning the leadership of the Conservative Party, in the lead, as he was, on the last vote of Conservative MPs. But, the ballots... Posted 09 Oct 2024
General Election result prompts renewed electoral reform debate at Conservative Party conference The Conservative conference this year was dominated by the leadership contest, with the four remaining candidates making their pitches to MPs and members this week in Birmingham. Meanwhile, at the fringe events there was a... Posted 02 Oct 2024
Former New Zealand PM praises ‘very stable’ PR at Labour Conference Despite the downcast weather in Liverpool this week there was an upbeat mood at the Labour conference as the party celebrated its second best election result in its history and a return to government. Yet... Posted 26 Sep 2024
Jubilation and strong support for electoral reform at the Liberal Democrat’s 2024 conference There was a jubilant atmosphere at the Liberal Democrat conference this week. The number 72 – the number of MPs the party now has – was everywhere. It appeared in every speech, to raucous applause,... Posted 18 Sep 2024
Which UK political parties support proportional representation? The results of the 2024 election are just the latest indicator of our broken electoral system, with a troubling mismatch between votes and seats, and a staggering 57.8% voters left unrepresented. If the UK had... Posted 18 Sep 2024
What to expect from the upcoming Senedd Reforms The Welsh Parliament is going through a raft of changes ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. Here’s all you need to know: Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 On the 24th of June, the... Posted 18 Sep 2024
How does proportional representation work? Proportional representation (PR) is not a voting system in itself. Instead, it’s the idea that seats in parliament should reflect the proportion of votes cast; something which can be achieved through a variety of electoral... Posted 05 Sep 2024