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England’s previous local elections show what’s wrong with our voting system

Time and time again, England’s local elections repeatedly produce results that simply don’t reflect how people vote. If you live in England, you might be casting a vote for your councillors in a local election...

Posted 27 Apr 2026

How Scotland’s Holyrood elections work will work this May

The 2024 General Election in Scotland was a one-sided affair. Scottish Labour won 35.3% of the vote in Scotland and 64.9% of the available seats. While the SNP came a narrow second place on 30%...

Posted 23 Apr 2026

Holyrood’s voting system wants you to be represented in Parliament

We should fix our voting system, not force people to use it

This week, the Telegraph has published an article debating the merits of compulsory voting. Partly inspired by the approaching first anniversary of the launch of the Campaign for Compulsory Voting, the Telegraph’s research shows that...

Posted 23 Apr 2026

Compulsory voting would treat the symptoms not the cause

Polling breakdown from March 2026: Latest polls see continued fragmentation

Since February 2025, we at the Electoral Reform Society have been collecting data on UK general election voting intention polls published by British Polling Council (BPC) members. The year since has seen the continuation of...

Posted 02 Apr 2026

There is only a 15-point gap between the 1st and 5th placed parties

There is a new way of voting at the Senedd election this May. How does it work?

Whatever happens in May, the next Senedd election is set to be historic. For instance, recent polling has pointed to the chance that Labour might not be the largest party in the Senedd for the...

Posted 02 Apr 2026

Wales has 16 new constituencies, each one electing six Members of the Senedd

While the UK is making voting more accessible, the US is cracking down

Currently, the UK is reassessing our restrictive voter ID laws. The Representation of the People Bill, if passed, would see an expansion of the types of accepted voter ID – making voting more accessible. Whilst...

Posted 02 Apr 2026

9.1% of voting age Americans lack ready access to a document proving citizenship

Former Prime Minister John Major questions the ‘validity’ of First Past the Post

There has been a significant intervention in the debate around electoral reform recently, in the guise of former Prime Minister John Major. The Conservative politician has questioned the “validity” of the First Past the Post...

Posted 01 Apr 2026

The case for examining First Past the Posts role is growing

Government to cap overseas donations and stop crypto donations

Today we welcomed the review by Philip Rycroft into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review rightly identifies a loss of trust in our democratic system and processes, and the importance...

Posted 25 Mar 2026

The government must go further and bring in a cap on how much all donors can give to a party

Scotland’s Parliament still has too much First Past the Post

When the Scottish Parliament was created, it was built to be different to Westminster. A system designed to reflect how all Scots voted, not just who comes first in each area. Scotland uses what is...

Posted 25 Mar 2026

We need to shift the balance closer to 50:50, to allow the ‘top-up’ to do its job.

The electoral reform Portugal needs

Nearly fifty years after the transition to democracy, Portugal’s electoral system for its national parliament (the Assembleia da República) has changed very little.

Posted 23 Mar 2026