Articles and Insights

Accessible commentary and insights from the Electoral Reform Society, on the issues shaping our democracy.

Featured Articles

The main stories selected by the Electoral Reform Society's team.

Local democracy

New law restores fairer voting system for mayoral elections

April 30, 2026

On 29 April 2026, the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill received Royal Assent. This means that it has passed all stages of its parliamentary progress, through the House of Commons and House of Lords and has become law, as the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act.

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Voters rights restored! Back up choices for mayors to return

House of Lords

Hereditary peers have left the Lords for the last time

April 30, 2026

Sometimes change arrives with fanfare. Sometimes it arrives quietly, after years of argument, delay and unfinished business.

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Money in Politics

Government to cap overseas donations and stop crypto donations

March 25, 2026

Today we welcomed the review by Philip Rycroft into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review rightly identifies a loss of trust in our democratic system and processes, and the importance of securing our democracy from those who seek to undermine it.

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Electoral Reform in Westminster

We were asked to address MPs on the Representation of the People Bill committee

March 19, 2026

This week MPs sitting on the Representation of the People Bill committee took evidence before the bill starts committee stage – the line-by-line examination of the legislation. Expert witnesses are called to give evidence at this stage to assist the committee with examining and improving the bill as it goes through parliament.

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Latest Insights

The latest articles and insights from the Electoral Reform Society's team.

Better local services need better local elections

Local democracy

Why we need to change the way we elect our councillors in England and Wales

April 28, 2026

Discussions around changing the voting system often refer to Westminster, yet the same problems that stifle the government of the...

Local democracy

England’s previous local elections show what’s wrong with our voting system

April 27, 2026

Time and time again, England’s local elections repeatedly produce results that simply don’t reflect how people vote. If you live...

Holyrood’s voting system wants you to be represented in Parliament

ERS Scotland

How Scotland’s Holyrood elections work will work this May

April 23, 2026

The 2024 General Election in Scotland was a one-sided affair. Scottish Labour won 35.3% of the vote in Scotland and...

Compulsory voting would treat the symptoms not the cause

Polling Day

We should fix our voting system, not force people to use it

April 23, 2026

This week, the Telegraph has published an article debating the merits of compulsory voting. Partly inspired by the approaching first...

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Polling & Public Opinion

Analysis of the latest polling from the Electoral Reform Society's research department.

Polling breakdown from March 2026: Latest polls see continued fragmentation

By Ian Simpson Senior Research Officer April 2, 2026

Latest UK polling: As voters spread their support, our voting system can’t keep up

By Ian Simpson Senior Research Officer March 4, 2026

Latest YouGov poll shows multi-party Britain breaking the voting system

By Darren Hughes Chief Executive October 28, 2025

New polling finds proportional representation still much more popular than First Past the Post

By Ian Simpson Senior Research Officer December 11, 2024

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The Basics of First Past the Post

Discover how we are let down by the way we elect MPs to Westminster.

The majority of people are represented by an MP they didnt want

Electoral Reform in Westminster

Why First Past the Post leaves most of us without voice in parliament

January 15, 2026

We live in a country where each constituency has a single MP. Yet for most people this means the MP...

Why reach out when you can win a majority on just 30 percent of the vote

Electoral Reform in Westminster

How First Past the Post turns politics into tribal warfare

December 10, 2025

Poll after poll and headline after headline in the U.K may leave you with the impression of a country more...

First Past the Post doesn’t care how narrow or extreme a party’s agendas is

Electoral Reform in Westminster

How First Past the Post lets people with fringe views slip through the net

November 13, 2025

Britain’s First Past the Post system was designed for a two-party age. One that pretty much everyone agrees we no...

The real fights aren’t across the floor of the Commons but inside the ruling party itself

Electoral Reform in Westminster

Why single-party governments under First Past the Post fail to get things done

October 29, 2025

For all the talk of “strong government,” the reality of single-party rule under First Past the Post (FPTP) often looks...

Speaking up for Voters

Read the latest articles from the Electoral Reform Society's spokespeople

How Our Country Works

Discover how power functions in the UK.

Local democracy

Why we need to change the way we elect our councillors in England and Wales

April 28, 2026

Discussions around changing the voting system often refer to Westminster, yet the same problems that stifle the government of the...

ERS Scotland

How Scotland’s Holyrood elections work will work this May

April 23, 2026

The 2024 General Election in Scotland was a one-sided affair. Scottish Labour won 35.3% of the vote in Scotland and...

Wales has 16 new constituencies, each one electing six Members of the Senedd

ERS Cymru

There is a new way of voting at the Senedd election this May. How does it work?

April 2, 2026

Whatever happens in May, the next Senedd election is set to be historic. For instance, recent polling has pointed to...

We need to shift the balance closer to 50:50, to allow the ‘top-up’ to do its job.

ERS Scotland

Scotland’s Parliament still has too much First Past the Post

March 25, 2026

When the Scottish Parliament was created, it was built to be different to Westminster. A system designed to reflect how...

Global Perspectives

Discover how countries around the world run their elections.

All 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Austria 🇦🇹 Belgium 🇧🇪 Brazil 🇧🇷 Canada 🇨🇦 Denmark 🇩🇰 Estonia 🇪🇪 Fiji 🇫🇯 Finland 🇫🇮 France 🇫🇷 Germany 🇩🇪 Greece 🇬🇷 Guernsey 🇬🇬 Hungary 🇭🇺 India 🇮🇳 Ireland 🇮🇪 Italy 🇮🇹 Jamaica 🇯🇲 Japan 🇯🇵 Jersey 🇯🇪 Latvia 🇱🇻 Lebanon 🇱🇧 Malta 🇲🇹 Netherlands 🇳🇱 New Zealand 🇳🇿 North Korea 🇰🇵 Norway 🇳🇴 Poland 🇵🇱 Portugal 🇵🇹 Romania 🇷🇴 Slovenia 🇸🇮 South Africa 🇿🇦 Sweden 🇸🇪 Switzerland 🇨🇭 Turkey 🇹🇷 United States of America 🇺🇸

The Alternative Vote and the proportional Single Transferable Vote are used across Australia

Electoral Reform in Westminster

How do elections work in the Australian states?

November 10, 2022

Six months after choosing a new federal parliament, voters in the key Australian state of Victoria will be returning to...

Electoral Reform in Westminster

How do elections work in Australia?

May 15, 2022

British voters may have to wait up to five years for a general election, but, for Australians, the opportunity comes...

STV has made Australian politics better wherever it is used

Electoral Reform in Westminster

The Single Transferable Vote means every vote counts in New South Wales’ local elections

February 7, 2022

In the closing days of 2021, I braved the scorch of the blistering Australian summer sun, walking through the streets...

other countries have powerful regional representatives, Britain remains the odd-one-out

House of Lords

How are the members of upper houses chosen around the world?

January 27, 2022

Many countries use a bicameral political system – meaning that they have two chambers in their parliament. These parliaments are...

Electoral Reform in Westminster

A small change has the potential to make a big difference to Australian elections

January 8, 2021

In 1918, a seemingly ordinary by-election in the Australian electoral division of Swan changed Australian federal politics forever. The conservatives...