ERS Cymru leads calls for political parties to engage with new voters ahead of Wales’ May elections May’s election will be the first that 16 and 17 year olds and all resident foreign nationals are able to vote in Wales, representing around 100,000 potential electors. Now a coalition of 32 leading civil... Posted 22 Feb 2021
One-party politics is over: Why pressure is building for proportional representation Debate is growing about the need for a fair, democratic voting system. This week an editorial in the Guardian noted how the pandemic shows how giving governments 100% of the power – with only minority support is... Posted 19 Feb 2021
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
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
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
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