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Exploring the proportional outcome of Germany’s 2025 Federal election

With around 84.5 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous country in western Europe. A German Federal election, where representatives are elected to the Bundestag (Germany’s national parliament), is therefore always an important event. From...

Posted 24 Feb 2025

There is no denying that Germany’s system has done a better job of reflecting the wishes of voters than the FPTP system

Here’s the insights from our ERS members’ workshop

Following the 2024 election, we set about revising our campaigning plans for the new political situation in Westminster. We’ve been talking to MPs, academics and activists, as well as listening to our membership. The support...

Posted 12 Feb 2025

What voting system does the UK use for general elections?

Voting systems are the methods we use to elect representatives, like MPs or local councillors. They lay out rules about the way votes are cast and counted. Which system do we use in general elections...

Posted 11 Feb 2025

A real problem with our voting system is that it delivers parliaments which are not proportional

Current Parliament ‘least represents how the country voted of any in history’, MPs warn

Last week saw MPs warning that our current Parliament “is the one that least represents how the country voted of any in history”, as the government came under increasing pressure to bring in a fairer...

Posted 06 Feb 2025

Many MPs have now woken up to the elephant in the room that is the Westminster voting system

How Trudeau missed the opportunity for electoral reform in Canada

At the beginning of 2025, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced his decision to resign. He will stay in office until March 2025, when the Liberal Party selects a new leader, who will also...

Posted 29 Jan 2025

Here’s how we’ve briefed MPs ahead of the Westminster debate on proportional representation

On 30th January, MPs will be meeting in Parliament to debate proportional representation – a welcomed and vital opportunity to discuss a fairer and more representative democracy for all. Support for electoral reform within Parliament...

Posted 28 Jan 2025

We have provided MP with our research - Emphasising how the voting system is letting down voters.

Listen to our conversation with Mark Drakeford MS on Welsh democracy

Back at Welsh Labour party conference in November, ERS Cymru hosted an ‘in conversation’ with Mark Drakeford MS where he reflected on the past, the present and the future of Welsh democracy. In a wide...

Posted 16 Jan 2025

How would proportional representation work in the UK?

Proportional Representation (PR) is the idea that seats in parliament should closely match votes cast in an election. A system that’s perfectly proportional would mean that if a political party received one third of the...

Posted 16 Jan 2025

Under PR you could expect to see parliaments which more accurately reflect votes cast in a general election

This year’s General Election left millions of voices unheard

We have all heard the outcome of the 2024 general election, the surprises and the predictable outcomes, but digging under the surface there’s a surprising story to tell about the millions of voters who were...

Posted 19 Dec 2024

The rise of multi-party voting at UK general elections

With votes for parties, and independent candidates, other than Labour and the Conservatives reaching a historic high of 42.6%, the 2024 General Election saw a significant shift towards multi-party voting. The combined Labour and Conservative...

Posted 19 Dec 2024