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How Holyrood can close the lobbying loopholes – and stand up for transparency

Scotland’s lax transparency rules are leaving voters in the dark about the scale and nature of political lobbying, a coalition of campaigners has told MSPs. The argument was made by the Scottish Alliance for Lobbying...

Posted 09 Nov 2020

In both the US and Britain, millions are silenced by a broken electoral system

First published in the i newspaper While President Trump looked hopefully at a path to re-election on Tuesday night, one fact offered a little consolation to Democrats: they were winning the popular vote. But in...

Posted 06 Nov 2020

When it comes to fair votes, the US Senate is ripe for reform

If seats are ever to match votes in America, the US will need to look at the distorted Senate. While all eyes are firmly fixed on the race for the White House and, if you’re...

Posted 02 Nov 2020

Four ways of electing a president – ranked from worst to best

America’s presidential election is the most famous presidential election in the world. The antiquated American system of choosing a president via an electoral college is also one of the worst methods for choosing a national...

Posted 02 Nov 2020

How the US’ warped Electoral College means millions of votes make no difference

In the last five US elections, two presidents have been summoned to office whilst obtaining fewer votes than their opponent. For example, in 2000 George W. Bush won with four hundred thousand fewer votes than...

Posted 02 Nov 2020

Bush and Trump both won elections with fewer votes than their opponent

Could Trump win the Presidency and lose the popular vote again?

There have been two ‘wrong winners’ in UK general elections over the last 70 years. In 1951, Labour got more votes than the Conservatives but the Tories won more seats. In February 1974, the position...

Posted 30 Oct 2020

US election: Why 33 states have had no presidential campaign events at all

FairVote’s Benjamin Oestericher explains how America’s first past the post style electoral college makes vast swathes of the country an electoral desert. This map, designed by FairVote, displays the geographic composition of 2020 campaign events...

Posted 30 Oct 2020

Westminster could learn a lot from the Australian Capital Territory

Could Australia’s capital show the rest of Australia and Westminster how to be fairer and more representative?

Posted 21 Oct 2020

My experience in the Australian Capital Territory has changed my mind

Does PR mean coalitions? As New Zealand shows – it’s all down to the voters

The New Zealand Labour party are celebrating a landslide win, with 49 percent of the vote and enough MPs to form a single-party government on their own. This is the first time since New Zealand...

Posted 20 Oct 2020

New Zealand’s MMP electoral system: how does it work?

New Zealand actor Jack Buchanan explains how MMP works in this music video created in partnership with the New Zealand Electoral Commission. Politics in New Zealand can look to outsiders to be much like politics...

Posted 14 Oct 2020