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One in four Constituency Labour Parties now back Proportional Representation – so what’s next?

Pressure is growing. This week the campaign to get Labour to back electoral reform hit a new milestone. A quarter of Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) have passed motions calling for a fairer voting system. This...

Posted 19 Feb 2021

Holyrood must take forward the Citizens’ Assembly’s calls to revamp Scottish democracy

Politicians must move Scottish democracy forward by putting citizens at the centre, the ERS and 17 other leading organisations and campaigners say.

Posted 18 Feb 2021

“Citizens’ assemblies are being used to upgrade Scottish democracy”

How government voter ID plans are an expensive and dangerous distraction

At a cost of up to £20m per election, this is a colossal waste of energy and resources at a time when we should be focusing on the UK’s recovery.

Posted 18 Feb 2021

How a landmark bill could enhance democracy in the US

The 2020 US presidential election and down-ballot races were a success for democratic participation. The presidential race saw a record number of people – over 158 million US voters – turn out to vote and...

Posted 16 Feb 2021

HR1 is one of the most comprehensive attempts at reforming federal election law in US history

Wales’ planning for the May elections is a welcome contrast to Westminster

Key decisions on May's elections in Wales will be driven by consensus and cooperation, rather than ministerial diktat.

Posted 15 Feb 2021

MPs step up parliamentary push for electoral reform with new cross-party campaign

MPs have launched a fresh effort to reform Westminster’s undemocratic voting laws, with a new all-party group pushing for change. The cross-party group – the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Electoral Reform – is working towards...

Posted 12 Feb 2021

A bumper year for local elections – but a dud system is holding England back

Last week, the government announced that the elections on May 6th will go ahead – a welcome bit of clarity. Although this is good news for democracy, voters will still be short-changed under England’s one-party-takes-all...

Posted 12 Feb 2021

Scotland, Northern Ireland and now Wales can have local PR, why can’t England?

An unenviable milestone – we must stop the bloat of our oversized second chamber

This week the House of Lords hit an unenviable milestone – once again topping over 800 members following Boris Johnson’s latest round of appointments. Some barriers are meant to be broken but having 800 members...

Posted 12 Feb 2021

Scotland’s ground-breaking Citizens’ Assembly has wrapped up. What’s next?

Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly, a deliberative body made up of 100 citizens reflecting the country’s demographics, concluded in January and published its visions for the future of Scotland. Citizens’ Assemblies which aim to create ‘mini-publics’...

Posted 09 Feb 2021

People want democracy on the agenda at the May elections

Bills are being proposed across the US to scrap First Past the Post

Electoral reform is gaining momentum across the USA as an impressive number of state legislatures are considering reforming their local and statewide elections. So far, 30 bills to scrap First Past the Post and bring...

Posted 05 Feb 2021