Recent Articles

Explore the Electoral Reform Society's home for articles and insights, or scroll through the Society's article archive below.

View by category

View by date

The ERS team at a historic Labour Conference

The campaign for fair votes recently achieved a historic victory when Labour Party Conference voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections. This is a massive moment for democracy in the UK....

Posted 05 Oct 2022

Darren’s Diary - Behind the scenes at Labour Conference

Labour Party conference backs proportional representation

In a historic vote, Labour Party Conference has voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections. This is a massive moment for democracy in the UK. Now all major parties, bar the...

Posted 27 Sep 2022

A massive moment for democracy in the UK

Long running survey finds majority support proportional representation

The publication of the latest findings from the long-running British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey this week saw a record-breaking high in public support for electoral reform. Since 1983, the following question has been included on...

Posted 23 Sep 2022

Only 44 percent want to retain the current electoral system

Electoral Commission report calls for better political education in Wales

The Electoral Commission report on May 2022’s local elections in Wales, published yesterday, highlights that the extension of the franchise is only the first step in ensuring the participation of new groups of voters in...

Posted 22 Sep 2022

Only 22 percent of parents think that the information their children currently get is sufficient

Constitutional questions need answering to strengthen Welsh democracy

The debate about the UK’s constitutional arrangements has come to the fore in recent years. We’ve seen a Scottish referendum, with another possible next year, the UK’s exit from the European Union and more recently, the...

Posted 18 Aug 2022

There are three main areas where we think the Commission should make recommendations

A majority of people oppose Boris Johnson’s plans to pack the Lords with new peers

Our new polling has found that the majority of people (54%) oppose Boris Johnson’s plans to pack the Lords with new peers just weeks before he leaves office. Some prime ministers appoint a group of...

Posted 16 Aug 2022

It shouldnt be at the prime ministers whim to decide who scrutinises our laws

Early indications suggest Welsh voting pilots went well

In May’s local elections, four areas in Wales trialled a different way of voting – allowing people to cast their vote before election day. As well as polling stations being open on the Thursday 5...

Posted 05 Aug 2022

We need to be looking at removing other barriers to voting in Wales

It’s time to scrap the tradition of resignation honours

Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to use his final days in power to pack the Lords with his supporters and allies. Boris Johnson’s days in Downing Street are numbered but that hasn’t stopped him planning...

Posted 29 Jul 2022

Only a fully democratic second chamber, can provide the accountability we need

Success as Labour vote overwhelmingly to increase the size of the Senedd

Welsh Labour members voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to back a new package of reforms to modernise the Senedd. This is the culmination of nearly 20 years of discussions around reforming the Welsh Parliament, particularly in...

Posted 07 Jul 2022

A step closer to the full-time parliament Wales deserves

Two aristocrats have won the right to make laws for life with just 27 votes

Just weeks after 70,000 people cast their votes to elect two new MPs in the Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-elections, two hereditary peers were gifted the life-long right to make the laws we all...

Posted 07 Jul 2022