Wales’ planning for the May elections is a welcome contrast to WestminsterKey decisions on May's elections in Wales will be driven by consensus and cooperation, rather than ministerial diktat.Posted 15 Feb 2021
MPs step up parliamentary push for electoral reform with new cross-party campaignMPs have launched a fresh effort to reform Westminster’s undemocratic voting laws, with a new all-party group pushing for change. The cross-party group – the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Electoral Reform – is working towards...Posted 12 Feb 2021
A bumper year for local elections – but a dud system is holding England backLast week, the government announced that the elections on May 6th will go ahead – a welcome bit of clarity. Although this is good news for democracy, voters will still be short-changed under England’s one-party-takes-all...Posted 12 Feb 2021
An unenviable milestone – we must stop the bloat of our oversized second chamberThis week the House of Lords hit an unenviable milestone – once again topping over 800 members following Boris Johnson’s latest round of appointments. Some barriers are meant to be broken but having 800 members...Posted 12 Feb 2021
Scotland’s ground-breaking Citizens’ Assembly has wrapped up. What’s next?Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly, a deliberative body made up of 100 citizens reflecting the country’s demographics, concluded in January and published its visions for the future of Scotland. Citizens’ Assemblies which aim to create ‘mini-publics’...Posted 09 Feb 2021
Bills are being proposed across the US to scrap First Past the PostElectoral reform is gaining momentum across the USA as an impressive number of state legislatures are considering reforming their local and statewide elections. So far, 30 bills to scrap First Past the Post and bring...Posted 05 Feb 2021
Finally, some clarity on England’s local electionsUK ministers have finally confirmed that local elections in England will go ahead on the 6th of May, after being delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Here's what we know.Posted 05 Feb 2021
Activists are calling on Keir Starmer to back ambitious political reform, following a key Labour reportLeading Labour figures and democracy campaigners have urged the Labour party to get behind major political reform, following the launch of a new party-commissioned roadmap for constitutional change.Posted 05 Feb 2021
ERS in the Press – January 2021As a new year begins, but the effects of the national lockdown continue, democratic issues continue to make the headlines – as we’ve kicked off the new year continuing our calls for fairer votes and...Posted 03 Feb 2021
Why we need more than piecemeal reform of the House of LordsThe House of Lords is back in the spotlight, with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying that replacing the House of Lords with an elected senate of the nations and regions should form part of...Posted 03 Feb 2021