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What is the role of the House of Lords and could it do more?

While the House of Lords is often in the press, it’s often due to the things its members should not be doing, rather than the work it does do. The chamber though has an important...

Posted 29 Jan 2024

A ‘defeat’ in the House of Lords is very different to a defeat in the Commons

Which is the best electoral system for the House of Lords?

Whenever the issue of creating an elected Second Chamber comes up, a common question is how it should be elected. Thankfully, one of the areas of agreement on Lords reform over the years has been...

Posted 27 Dec 2023

The benefits of proportional representation for a reformed House of Lords are clear

How many peers are there in the House of Lords – and how many does it need?

One of the unique features of our currently second chamber, apart from it being unelected and still partially based on inherited titles, is that its membership is huge. At over 800 peers in total, not...

Posted 21 Dec 2023

At over 800 peers in total, it dwarfs all other second chambers around the world

Why independent candidates win with the Single Transferable Vote

Currently, there are 14 independent MPs in the House of Commons, which might seem to suggest Independent candidates can win under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP). But these MPs are only independent because they were suspended from their...

Posted 01 Nov 2023

When voters have an electoral system that works for them, Independent councillors get elected

Proportional representation helped women get elected in 2022

In January 2023, the global proportion of women parliamentarians just was 26.5%, indicating that there’s a way to go before we have equal numbers of men and women in parliament around the world. While quotas...

Posted 27 Jul 2023

In 2023 the global proportion of women parliamentarians just was 26 point 5 percent

Exploring the franchise: Who can vote in UK elections?

The franchise has been in the news recently due to Labour considering plans to extend the franchise to resident EU citizens and 16 and 17 year olds. The question of who gets to vote in...

Posted 25 May 2023

The question of who gets to vote is more complicated than you might think

Time for a key change? How we would reform Eurovision voting

Eurovision is upon us once again – everyone’s favourite flamboyant celebration of Europe’s musical talent. With quite a few ERS staff members being unashamed superfans, we thought it would be a great excuse to take...

Posted 12 May 2023

How can one party win all the seats in a local council election without all the votes?

In May’s 2023 local elections in England, the Liberal Democrats won 72% of the seats on Bath & North East Somerset. In Broxbourne, the Conservatives won 90% of the seats that were up for election....

Posted 11 May 2023

Thousands of voters are left underrepresented or not represented at all

Why did the Netherlands adopt nationwide proportional representation?

The Dutch prioritised proportionality above all else when creating their system of proportional representation; choosing a single nationwide constituency and a very low threshold. This is different to most countries which try to balance local...

Posted 01 Apr 2023

What was AV+ the electoral system recommended by the Jenkins Report?

In their 1997 election manifesto, Labour set out a commitment to hold a referendum on the current First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system. This referendum was never called, however the Labour Party, with support...

Posted 27 Mar 2023