Now is the time to bring our campaign rules into the 21st centuryThe Rt Hon Dame Cheryl Gillan MP contributed this piece as the forward to our report Reining in the Political ‘Wild West’: Campaign Rules for the 21st Century. Our democracy is at a critical juncture. We...Posted 11 Feb 2019
Six ways to rein in the campaign ‘Wild West’On Monday, the ERS launched a united call for change – with election regulators, campaigners, academics and MPs alike demanding a review of Britain’s political campaign laws. This week marks 15 years since the...Posted 05 Feb 2019
Reining in the political ‘Wild West’: Why we need campaign rules for the 21st centuryPolitical party campaigning has shifted dramatically online in recent years. To give just one example: political parties spent around £1.3 million on Facebook adverts during the 2015 general election. This more than doubled two years...Posted 04 Feb 2019
What we learnt from the ERS Members and Supporters Conference 2018On the first weekend in December, ERS members and supporters came together for the Society’s Annual Conference and AGM. The majority of the day was made up of workshop sessions, where ERS staff led discussions on...Posted 21 Dec 2018
ERS in the Press – November 2018Here is just a highlight of the coverage our campaigns have received in the press this month. MPs call for end to ‘political gender gap’ at Westminster We coordinated the media for the Centenary Action Group’s campaign...Posted 30 Nov 2018
Foreign influence, not voter fraud, is the biggest threat to our democracy“Do we need to start messaging ‘widespread reports of election fraud’, so we are positively set up for the recount regardless of the final number?” wrote one Republican businessman earlier this year. “Yes” came the...Posted 12 Nov 2018
The threat of dark money goes beyond BrexitTwo and a half years on from the EU referendum, the result is still being discussed and debated. Arguably more important though is another story: whether the rules of the game are bust. The weekend...Posted 07 Nov 2018
ERS in the Press – October 2018This month we’ve had some fantastic coverage of our issues in the press, here’s just a highlight. Calls to lower UK voting age as Welsh assembly considers change. Our call for a “united franchise” –...Posted 30 Oct 2018
Why we can’t leave our democracy at the whim of tech giants like FacebookAnother vote is never far away. But even outside of election time, campaigning rumbles on. Each day, a lot of cash is spent influencing political debate. These days though, that’s not just people delivering leaflets...Posted 25 Oct 2018
We can’t leave political transparency to the whim of big tech firms: it’s time for a campaign overhaulWhen an election is just around the corner, there are several tell-tale signs: politicians incessantly visiting factories, thousands of signs strapped to lampposts, and tensions mounting at the dinner table. And there are the flyers....Posted 23 Oct 2018