It’s time to put deliberation at the heart of Scottish politicsLast Saturday the final session of the Citizen’s Assembly of Scotland concluded. The assembly, the largest deliberative event in Scotland’s history brought together ordinary people to deliberate over the issues that will shape Scotland. As...Posted 12 Dec 2020
YouGov study reveals the stark levels of discontent with WestminsterBy Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. Last week, polling firm YouGov released a wide-ranging study on democracy and its perception amongst Britons – and it...Posted 11 Dec 2020
One year on from the General Election: What we’ve learnt about Westminster’s warped voting systemA year ago this Saturday, the polls opened on the first December election for over ninety years. At the time this felt like an unusual bookend to an unusual parliamentary term, which had culminated in...Posted 11 Dec 2020
What is the government’s proposed Democracy Commission?By Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. During last year’s general election, the government pledged that, in its first year, it would set up a ‘Constitution,...Posted 07 Dec 2020
Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform SocietyIt’s hard to think of a more troubling year in living memory. But the public health crisis has, perhaps counter-intuitively, put issues of democracy at the forefront. The election may feel like a distant memory,...Posted 07 Dec 2020
MPs in joint call to ‘protect and strengthen’ the Electoral Commission, 20 years after its foundationThis week marks 20 years since the Electoral Commission was founded. It’s a time for celebration of its successes but also a time to look to its future. That’s why former Digital, Culture, Media and...Posted 04 Dec 2020
ERS in the Press – November 2020In a month dominated by coronavirus and a second national lockdown in England as well as Brexit negotiations, democratic issues have still been in the news and we’ve continued to be at the forefront of...Posted 02 Dec 2020
Happy birthday to the Electoral Commission – now let’s give it the powers it needsThis Monday marks 20 years since the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 received Royal Assent. It was an act which set up the Electoral Commission, the UK’s independent elections watchdog – and tackled...Posted 30 Nov 2020
Boris Johnson might not like devolution but it’s vital for his levelling up planThis article was originally published on inews.co.uk. You could dismiss the comments as classic Boris Johnson bluster. But they vocalise what the views of too many in Westminster when it comes to the devolved nations....Posted 27 Nov 2020
Why we need transparency around the political use of personal dataIn recent years, we’ve talked a lot about the rise of online political campaigning and the impact this can have on our democratic processes – the ERS has been at the forefront of calling for...Posted 26 Nov 2020