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SNP Conference: ERS Scotland’s packed fringe event rings out for strengthening local democracy

A vibrant and powerful local democracy creates the basis for building strong communities. From the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis people have shown they are willing to devote time and care to those in need....

Posted 19 Oct 2023

Democracy is major theme at Labour conference

Following last year’s successful motion on proportional representation, electoral reform and improving our democracy remained some of the biggest topics of discussion at Labour conference this year. The Electoral Reform Society team organised and spoke...

Posted 13 Oct 2023

Darren Hughes and Mick Antoniw at Labour Conference

Making the case for electoral reform at Conservative Conference

As a non-partisan organisation, we attend all the major party conferences to make the case for electoral reform. There is a long history of electoral reform supporters in the Conservative Party, with Conservative Action for...

Posted 05 Oct 2023

Conservative Action for Electoral Reform

Welcome new bill will make it easier to vote in Wales

When it comes to democracy and elections in Wales, Bills are coming like buses! Just two weeks after the introduction of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill the Welsh Government laid it’s Elections and...

Posted 05 Oct 2023

These new proposals will remove barriers that many people face

Voter ID makes its unwelcome Scottish debut in Rutherglen and Hamilton West

If you live in Rutherglen and Hamilton West and are registered to vote, tomorrow is the day you can go vote in the long-awaited by-election. That is if you have, and remember to take, photo...

Posted 04 Oct 2023

The first time you have needed photo ID to vote in an election in Scotland

Lesley Riddoch’s State of Scottish Democracy lecture

Thank you to everyone who made it along to hear author and broadcaster, Lesley Riddoch, present the second of our annual ERS State of Scottish Democracy lecture. We are pleased to publish a video of...

Posted 28 Sep 2023

Support for electoral reform is strong at the Liberal Democrat’s 2023 conference

Heading to the Liberal Democrats’ 2023 conference in Bournemouth to promote electoral reform is not the hardest task I’ve been handed in my working life! Saying that, our task was more to find out if they...

Posted 28 Sep 2023

Electoral Commission estimate 8 million missing from electoral roll

This week, the Electoral Commission published a report highlighting how millions of people are missing from Britain’s electoral registers. The report details how up to 8 million people are not correctly registered and are at...

Posted 21 Sep 2023

We need UK-wide automatic voter registration

Welsh Government introduce Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill

Next year the Senedd will mark a quarter of a century since its establishment. For many of those 25 years it has been apparent that the Senedd is too small. At just 60 members the...

Posted 18 Sep 2023

Good scrutiny pays for itself and poor scrutiny leads to poor decisions going unchallenged

Voter ID rules criticised by MPs, election watchdog and election administrators

This week three separate independent reports have exposed the extent of the unnecessary damage voter ID has wrought to our democracy. Voter ID was rushed through for the local elections in May which meant voters...

Posted 15 Sep 2023