Proportional representation would end the scourge of tactical votingThe losses in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton, where the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000 Conservative majority, were both the result of declining support for Johnson’s government, but also it would appear, the result of widescale tactical voting....Posted 03 Jul 2022
Jersey’s new electoral system has first outingTwo years ago, the Electoral Reform Society looked at the island of Guernsey’s new voting system where voters had to choose up to 38 candidates in a single island-wide ‘thirty-eight past the post’ election. But...Posted 23 Jun 2022
Do all countries have by-elections? Filling parliamentary vacancies around the worldThis Thursday (23rd June), voters in the constituencies of Tiverton and Honiton, and Wakefield go to the polls in by-elections caused by the scandal-related resignations of their previous MPs. By-elections allow voters to pick a...Posted 21 Jun 2022
The UK’s biggest union just passed a motion in support of proportional representationDelegates at UNISON’s National Delegate Conference have just backed a motion calling on the UK’s biggest union to ‘reject First Past the Post’ and for the adoption of PR for UK general elections. The vote,...Posted 17 Jun 2022
A big victory on Senedd reformWhen Ron Davies described the idea of devolution as a ‘process not an event’ back in 1999 he had little idea his words would come to describe a quarter of a century of reform in...Posted 16 Jun 2022
How do elections work for France’s parliament, the French National Assembly?Fresh from re-electing Emmanuel Macron as president on 24 April 2022, French voters are now returning to the polls on the 12 and 19 June to elect a new parliament. Historically, presidential and legislative elections...Posted 30 May 2022
ERS Scotland: Our plans for the years aheadAt ERS Scotland we are constantly monitoring the political seas and updating our course to make sure we have the proper heading. Following this year’s local elections, the elections to the Scottish Parliament in 2021,...Posted 24 May 2022
Wales can lead the way and deliver a parliament fit for the 21st CenturyReform of the Senedd has been discussed since its inception. When it opened in 1999 it had just 60 members, no government function and limited powers. While the powers of the Senedd and the function...Posted 18 May 2022
How do elections work in Australia?British voters may have to wait up to five years for a general election, but, for Australians, the opportunity comes no later than every three. On Saturday 21st May, Australia’s House of Representatives and roughly...Posted 15 May 2022
Scottish local democracy can build and strengthen our communitiesDemocracy 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