Recent Articles

The Electoral Reform Society's article archive.

View by category

View by date

The Other EU Referendum

With only 76 days until polls open in Britain’s EU referendum there is now a diminishing amount of time before the campaign reaches its zenith. Yet, it may have escaped the notice of many Britons...

Posted 07 Apr 2016

Move House for Electoral Reform! Facts behind our April Fools

Whilst the day-to-day effects of First Past the Post for communities around Britain is closer to a tragedy – for one day a year we attempt, along with everyone else, to spread our message using...

Posted 06 Apr 2016

Mind the #EUref Generation Gap

It’s no news that young people are seen as disengaged from formal politics. But research we released at the weekend shows just how deep that runs when it comes to the EU referendum. We’ve revealed a worrying...

Posted 04 Apr 2016

Revealed: voters’ turnout prediction for the EU referendum (and other things)

A couple of weeks ago we revealed that just 16% of voters feel well informed about the EU referendum. Today, we can reveal even more. The polling by BMG Research, commissioned by us at the ERS, shows the...

Posted 29 Mar 2016

The Irish election: How PR can keep the local link

The General Election in Ireland last month was an earthquake in Irish politics. Ireland now has a vastly more diverse political landscape, with the results a reflection of a major decline in party loyalties –...

Posted 29 Mar 2016

The government should let union members choose how they vote

Tomorrow, the Chancellor will present his budget for the year ahead. But it’s not the only important thing happening: though it won’t be dominating the headlines, the government’s controversial Trade Union Bill will reach one...

Posted 15 Mar 2016

We closed a lobbying loophole

We’re welcoming a victory today in our campaign to make lobbying in Scotland more transparent. Yesterday we received a letter from the Scottish Minister for Parliamentary Business, Joe Fitzpatrick, stating that the Scottish Government will...

Posted 11 Mar 2016

Which Women Win? The 2015 English local elections

This is a guest post by James Winterbotham, University of Exeter James Winterbotham is an undergraduate student of social sciences and data analysis at the University of Exeter. As part of a team working with...

Posted 08 Mar 2016

People feel left in the dark by the EU referendum debate

With less than four months to go before the referendum, the signs are that the EU debate just isn’t reaching the public. Today we publish polling by BMG Research showing that just one in six...

Posted 07 Mar 2016

Four Reasons Conservatives Should Support Electoral Reform

The Scottish Conservative Party conference kicks off today, and one of the highlights will be the launch of a new pamphlet, “Light Blue Ideas”, edited by Professor Alan Convery. Alan is a lecturer in politics...

Posted 04 Mar 2016