Conservative manifesto: Missing pledges to improve our democracy The launch of the Conservative manifesto yesterday was conspicuously light on democratic policy with little mention by way of reforms desperately needed to strengthen our democracy. Voter ID Policy The Conservatives made only one proposal... Posted 13 Jun 2024
Over 100 seats haven’t changed hands for 100 years or more We often hear that politics is unpredictable, that anything can happen in the upcoming election – but the reality is that hundreds of seats across the country haven’t changed hands in decades. While the MP... Posted 03 Jun 2024
Could this be the last general election that excludes 16 and 17 year olds? At the Electoral Reform Society, we have long been advocates of extending the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds in general elections. So, we were pleased to see that, when asked on the campaign... Posted 29 May 2024
Imposing First Past the Post on these roles was a mistake The recent mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections took place under a First Past the Post (FPTP) system, where people are able to put just one ‘X’ on their ballot – choosing only one... Posted 15 May 2024
First Past the Post means 100,000 Welsh voters were denied a say in the last local elections Local elections are an important part of democracy in Wales. But did you know that thousands of voters have a councillor that nobody voted for at all? Due to the Westminster-style First Past the Post... Posted 15 May 2024
Four steps to protect our elections from AI interference I recently co-signed a letter with a host of leading third-sector organisations, as well as consumer champion Martin Lewis and Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, calling on political parties to agree a set of guidelines and... Posted 09 May 2024
Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn’t make a mayor The local and mayoral elections saw the corrosive impact First Past the Post is having on our democracy writ large. Not only did we witness its continued distorting effect on local council elections, with a... Posted 08 May 2024
England’s local elections show the warped world of First Past the Post Local people are best placed to decide the priorities of their local government. But as we say today, voters in England and Wales have very little impact on who sits in their local council chambers.... Posted 03 May 2024
While Boris Johnson could come back with ID, many ordinary voters don’t have that luxury News that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was turned away from voting as he went to a polling station without an accepted form of ID caused widespread amusement on social media yesterday. According to media... Posted 03 May 2024
Voters are being treated as guinea pigs in this year’s local elections Today, the 2nd May, millions of voters will head to the polls to elect more than 2,500 councillors, 37 police and crime commissioners, 10 metro mayors, 1 MP (by-election in Blackpool South) and London Assembly... Posted 02 May 2024