Friday 11th April should be the last time electors had to actively register to vote The deadline to register to vote in the local elections on 1 May was 11 April. Last February we estimated that 8.2 million voters were missing or incorrectly registered on the electoral roll across England,... Posted 13 Apr 2025
Why all local councils should be elected with proportional representation If you live in England, you might be casting a vote for a councillor in a local election this May – and with your vote, expressing your desire for how you’d like your local services... Posted 08 Apr 2025
Leading lord makes open threat to government in last ditch attempt to save hereditary peers For weeks now we have watched the bill to remove the 88 remaining hereditary peers make slow progress through the House of Lords. Only last week did the legislation finish committee stage, but not before... Posted 08 Apr 2025
Why the next Senedd could be the least representative of women ever The Senedd hit the headlines back in 2003 when it became the first legislature in the world to reach 50:50 gender parity between men and women. It was a proud moment for our country and... Posted 08 Apr 2025
First Past the Post again set to produce random results at English local elections With four weeks to go before English local authority elections, which will be held on 1 May 2025, this week saw the announcement of candidates for each of the divisions or wards where local councillors... Posted 03 Apr 2025
House of Lords spends forty hours debating themselves Last night at 10.20PM, the committee of the whole House of Lords on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill was finally adjourned. There were five days of committee, close to 150 amendments put forward,... Posted 02 Apr 2025
We should extend the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, here’s why The Government was elected on a manifesto promise to “increase the engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy by giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections.” We agree, and here’s... Posted 02 Apr 2025
It’s not just hereditary peers that are ‘hard to justify’ – It’s the whole unelected chamber Before Labour won the 2024 general election, the Labour leader in the House of Lords hinted that if Labour were to take power, we could finally see an end to the 92 hereditary peers in... Posted 30 Mar 2025
In discussion with Plaid Cymru leader Rhun Ap Iorwerth MS: Threats, Challenges and Opportunities for Welsh Democracy Last weekend, Plaid Cymru members gathered in Llandudno for their Spring Conference as they begin to set their sights on the 2026 Senedd election. As part of the event, ERS Cymru Director, Jess Blair, hosted... Posted 27 Mar 2025
The government can do better than this on voter ID Since voter ID was imposed in 2023, we know voters have been turned away from polling stations over 40,000 times and not returned. This alone is a shocking enough fact, but that’s not even the... Posted 24 Mar 2025