Why independent candidates win with the Single Transferable Vote Currently, there are 14 independent MPs in the House of Commons, which might seem to suggest Independent candidates can win under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP). But these MPs are only independent because they were suspended from their... Posted 01 Nov 2023
ERS Scotland makes the case for local democracy innovation at Scottish Greens’ Conference When citizens come together to make plans about the place they know best, Scotland’s towns, cities and villages can flourish. But what democratic systems would allow this to happen? And is Dunfermline the right place... Posted 01 Nov 2023
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
Northern Ireland’s local elections show the benefit of the Single Transferable Vote On the 18th of May, Northern Ireland’s local elections showcased the continued successful use of the Single Transferable Vote (STV). This inclusive and proportional method stands in stark contrast to the disproportionate results witnessed in... Posted 26 May 2023
How can one party win all the seats in a local council election without all the votes? In May’s 2023 local elections in England, the Liberal Democrats won 72% of the seats on Bath & North East Somerset. In Broxbourne, the Conservatives won 90% of the seats that were up for election.... Posted 11 May 2023
New rules see Mayors elected without majority support Coverage of the local elections has been dominated by punditry over what the results mean for next year’s general election and the government’s controversial voter ID scheme, which saw countless people turned away from casting... Posted 10 May 2023
90% of seats on less than half the vote? That’s England’s local democracy With nearly all the 2023 local election results declared, the First Past the Post system used across England has once again failed to reflect the views of voters in who runs their local community. Rather... Posted 09 May 2023
Elections Cancelled: 90,000 denied any say in local elections Following the publication of candidate notices for the May 2023 English local elections, it is clear that the scourge of uncontested and guaranteed seats will once again limit the democratic choices of hundreds of thousands... Posted 02 May 2023
Early indications suggest Welsh voting pilots went well In May’s local elections, four areas in Wales trialled a different way of voting – allowing people to cast their vote before election day. As well as polling stations being open on the Thursday 5... Posted 05 Aug 2022
Scottish local democracy can build and strengthen our communities Democracy is the right for people to decide how the place where they live is run. But too few people now believe that this right is being honoured, too few believe that they decide and... Posted 13 May 2022