Britain is changing, so should our electoral systemSo, the Conservatives and DUP have agreed a deal. Despite the two previous elections failing to secure a ‘strong and stable’ government, few saw this coming. There’s a reason for that. Despite all evidence to...Posted 28 Jun 2017
‘Strong and stable’? Westminster’s voting system is anything butVoters won’t be bossed about – perhaps that’s the first lesson we should take from the election. From voting for a parliament where no party got more than half the seats in an election hinged...Posted 15 Jun 2017
First Past the Post’s Third StrikeWe’ve heard it time and time again in different forms: First Past the Post is ‘strong and stable’. It seems that myth has been well and truly bust. This is the third election in a...Posted 12 Jun 2017
Scotland’s multi-party system can never be represented by First Past the PostAt the close of the polls on Thursday, people in Scotland will have faced 10 opportunities to vote in the last eight years. Of these elections and referendums, the general election is the only completely...Posted 08 Jun 2017
The scourge of tactical votingA fifth of voters feel unable to back the party they most support this election, according to polling for the ERS. It’s more than twice the number as in 2015. This is a situation foisted...Posted 07 Jun 2017
Closing the registration generation gapYoung voters are in the spotlight this election. Significant gaps in current polling have been explained by differences in how pollsters are measuring youth turnout. Younger electors are also behind the surge in electoral registration....Posted 06 Jun 2017
Online campaigning is a wild west – it’s time we knew what parties were up toIf 2015 was the digital election, this one is more specifically the Facebook election. With the big money rolling into the social media giant from parties – Labour and the Conservatives are planning to spend a million pounds...Posted 30 May 2017
Diversity deserts: 7.5m people can’t vote for a woman this electionThere’s good news and bad news when it comes to women’s representation this election. The good news is this: analysis by the Press Association suggests a record number of women could be elected on June 8th, meaning...Posted 26 May 2017
The Conservatives just pledged to take our democracy back decadesYesterday Theresa May launched the Conservatives’ manifesto. There was a lot of talk about ‘moving forwards’. But one pledge stuck out as doing the exact opposite. Theresa May has pledged to impose (or in the manifesto’s...Posted 19 May 2017
Electoral reform returns to the agenda in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia, Canada’s most Western province, has often been the site of electoral reform intrigue. In the run-up to the 1952 provincial election the Conservative and Liberal parties tried to stop the socialist Co-operative Commonwealth...Posted 18 May 2017