News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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Democratising Devo Manc

The ERS has long campaigned for devolution to the local level, but the Society also campaigns for proportional representation at a local level. Here ERS Deputy Chief Executive Darren Hughes outlines why they should go hand...

Posted 25 Feb 2015

Deal or no deal

The public are sick to death of party funding scandals. Over the last two weeks we have been exposed to yet more findings about the suspect dealings of party donors. It brings our democracy into...

Posted 19 Feb 2015

When NOTA wins

This is a guest post by ERS member and NOTA UK researcher Rohin Vadera. The views, opinions and positions expressed within are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent those of the Electoral Reform...

Posted 16 Feb 2015

End the patronage

Earlier this week the UCL’s Constitution Unit released a new report titled Enough is Enough, outlining the ludicrous situation of Lords appointments. The House of Lords is now the second largest chamber on the planet, only...

Posted 12 Feb 2015

House of Lords

#MergerHeWrote: Steve Reed MP on Sharing Power With Citizens

Our second article in the Merger He Wrote series is from guest writer Steve Reed.  Steve is Labour MP for Croydon North, UK Shadow Minister for Crime Prevention, and Hon. President of the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network. ...

Posted 11 Feb 2015

Pick your numbers

At every election, it seems, we are told that the poll is ‘historic’, that it is the ‘most important in a generation’ because the country is ‘at the crossroads’. What makes 2015 a contender for...

Posted 09 Feb 2015

lottery balls

Registering to Vote – What You Need to Know

Our intrepid Scotland Campaigns and Research Officer Juliet Swann outlines what the new Individual Electoral Registration system means for you. Last year a law was passed that changed how we register to vote in the...

Posted 05 Feb 2015

#MergerHeWrote: Leighton’s Localism

In the first article of the ‘Merger, He Wrote’ series, Steve Brooks director of the Electoral Reform Society Cymru reflects on the Welsh Government’s new white paper on local democracy. For the last two decades,...

Posted 04 Feb 2015