Should the ERS look at the rules for… Tennis?As tennis players line up for the Wimbledon semi-finals, and candidates hit the doorstep for multiple by-elections, we’ve been thinking about how useful sporting analogies are when it comes to politics. As, when you think...Posted 14 Jul 2023
How honourable are honours lists?Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list caused quite a kerfuffle between the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) and the current and former PM. This all led to a rather slimmed-down list from the much speculated...Posted 11 Jul 2023
Now we know at least 14,000 were blocked from voting, voter ID should be scrappedOn the 23rd June, the Electoral Commission published their provisional report on the rollout of voter ID. One figure stands out from their research: 14,000 eligible voters were denied their democratic right to cast their...Posted 11 Jul 2023
Welsh Government to introduce progressive electoral reformsLast week in the Senedd, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the Welsh Government’s plans for legislation for the next year. This covered eight new bills which the government hopes will become law. There was a...Posted 06 Jul 2023
The row over Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list highlights why it should be the lastThe recent days have seen the national focus pulled onto the House of Lords through the public row between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson over the latter’s resignation honours list. While the spat has provided...Posted 13 Jun 2023
There is a dangerous loophole in our political financing rulesShadowy dining clubs and millions of pounds in donations. This is the realm of ‘unincorporated associations’ one of the least-regulated areas of political finance in the UK. Last week, Politico reported that these little-known entities...Posted 12 Jun 2023
Northern Ireland’s local elections show the benefit of the Single Transferable VoteOn 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
Hundreds of activists gather to tell MPs to Sort the SystemSupport for proportional representation is growing. In the past few months, we’ve seen more and more people saying it’s time for change – the result of widespread concern that Westminster politics isn’t working for ordinary...Posted 26 May 2023
Exploring the franchise: Who can vote in UK elections?The franchise has been in the news recently due to Labour considering plans to extend the franchise to resident EU citizens and 16 and 17 year olds. The question of who gets to vote in...Posted 25 May 2023
People were turned away from polling stations last week and they’ve told us whyOne of the big stories of May’s English local elections is not the results of the vote, but about the process of voting itself. For the first time, voters in England who headed to the...Posted 17 May 2023