Imposing First Past the Post on these roles was a mistakeThe recent mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections took place under a First Past the Post (FPTP) system, where people are able to put just one ‘X’ on their ballot – choosing only one...Posted 15 May 2024
First Past the Post means 100,000 Welsh voters were denied a say in the last local electionsLocal elections are an important part of democracy in Wales. But did you know that thousands of voters have a councillor that nobody voted for at all? Due to the Westminster-style First Past the Post...Posted 15 May 2024
Senedd expansion is a pivotal moment for devolutionSomething historic happened yesterday, something good. What happened in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) was the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill passed and did so with over 2/3rds of the chamber voting in favour. News...Posted 09 May 2024
Four steps to protect our elections from AI interferenceI recently co-signed a letter with a host of leading third-sector organisations, as well as consumer champion Martin Lewis and Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, calling on political parties to agree a set of guidelines and...Posted 09 May 2024
Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn’t make a mayorThe local and mayoral elections saw the corrosive impact First Past the Post is having on our democracy writ large. Not only did we witness its continued distorting effect on local council elections, with a...Posted 08 May 2024
What happens when the Lords defeat the Government?The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, allowing deportations to Rwanda for certain migrants who arrive in the UK via illegal routes, completed its passage through Parliament overnight on Monday 22 April, and gained...Posted 08 May 2024
England’s local elections show the warped world of First Past the PostLocal people are best placed to decide the priorities of their local government. But as we say today, voters in England and Wales have very little impact on who sits in their local council chambers....Posted 03 May 2024
While Boris Johnson could come back with ID, many ordinary voters don’t have that luxuryNews that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was turned away from voting as he went to a polling station without an accepted form of ID caused widespread amusement on social media yesterday. According to media...Posted 03 May 2024
Voters are being treated as guinea pigs in this year’s local electionsToday, the 2nd May, millions of voters will head to the polls to elect more than 2,500 councillors, 37 police and crime commissioners, 10 metro mayors, 1 MP (by-election in Blackpool South) and London Assembly...Posted 02 May 2024
Big changes to Welsh Police and Crime Commissioner electionsToday, voters across Wales will have to show ID to vote for the first time as they head to the polls to elect four Police and Crime Commissioners, covering North Wales, Dyfed Powys, Gwent and...Posted 02 May 2024