What’s wrong with First Past the Post?First Past the Post (FPTP) is the name for the voting system used to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to Westminster. It’s also used in a variety of other elections across the UK, including local...Posted 07 May 2025
New research on the chilling effect of voter ID publishedNew research published last month by Dr Tom Barton at Kings College London shows the potential detrimental effect of new voter ID laws on turnout. The research shows that the Voter ID requirement deterred and...Posted 07 May 2025
Why are our mayors winning on less than 30% of the vote?This past week’s mayoral elections marked a worrying milestone for democracy in England. For the first time ever, two combined authority mayors have been elected on less than 30% of the vote – with one...Posted 07 May 2025
The end of the two-party system? What the experts are saying about the 2025 local electionsSince the votes cast in the local elections were counted on Friday there has been extensive debate among experts and in the media about whether we are seeing the end of the two-party system. This...Posted 07 May 2025
One year to go until a Senedd election all about changeIn a year’s time, voters across Wales will head to the polls to elect a new Senedd for the seventh time since devolution was first established over 25 years ago. However, this election promises to...Posted 07 May 2025
Are we going to see Mayors elected with even lower levels of public support in 2025?Four Combined Authority mayors will be elected on 1 May 2025, but changes to the rules could see mayors taking power with little public support locally. Voters are going to the polls in the following...Posted 24 Apr 2025
It’s no accident that there are not enough women in ParliamentWomen’s equal representation in Parliament matters for a host of reasons. From the simple fact that 50% of us are women – to research that points to improved decision-making when women are involved in leadership,...Posted 24 Apr 2025
First Past the Post has played havoc with Canadian federal electionsEarlier this year, we wrote about Justin Trudeau’s regret at failing to deliver electoral reform during his near decade as Canada’s Prime Minister, despite first coming to power with a manifesto commitment to end First...Posted 24 Apr 2025
Rishi Sunak’s resignation peerages will do nothing to help collapsing trust in politicsTen months after the last government ended, it is still able to stuff yet more peers into the grossly oversized House of Lords. On Friday, Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list was published, ennobling seven Conservative...Posted 15 Apr 2025
What’s the problem with voter ID?Since 2023, we’ve had to present a valid form of photo ID to vote in UK-wide elections, and municipal elections in England. With the introduction of the scheme, the UK has taken a wrong turn...Posted 15 Apr 2025