News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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What to expect from the upcoming Senedd Reforms

The Welsh Parliament is going through a raft of changes ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. Here’s all you need to know: Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 On the 24th of June, the...

Posted 18 Sep 2024

The Welsh Parliament is taking bold steps to strengthen is democratic foundations, but there is room to go further

How does proportional representation work?

Proportional representation (PR) is not a voting system in itself. Instead, it’s the idea that seats in parliament should reflect the proportion of votes cast; something which can be achieved through a variety of electoral...

Posted 05 Sep 2024

“If we want fairer elections where votes truly matter, we need proportional representation”

Does the House of Lords have any power?

This July, the King’s Speech outlined the government’s intention to remove hereditary seats from the House of Lords. This is a positive step toward reforming parliament’s second chamber, as it signals the beginning of the...

Posted 28 Aug 2024

The real winner from votes at 16 is democracy

With our Labour government’s commitment to extending the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds in their manifesto, many an argument has been levelled against the plan. Most arguments against measures that would improve our democracy are...

Posted 27 Aug 2024

Coming into contact with politics in our formative years is crucially important for the future of our democracy