How did New Zealand get proportional representation?Prior to 1996, MPs were elected to New Zealand’s House of Representatives using the same unrepresentative First Past The Post (FPTP) system that is used to elect MPs to the UK’s House of Commons. Since...Posted 02 Aug 2022
Germany’s 2021 election: How Germans voteThis Sunday (26th March), Germany goes to the polls to elect its national parliament – the Bundestag. With Angela Merkel stepping down as Chancellor after 16 years, this election will cause only the fifth change...Posted 23 Sep 2021
How do Westminster election results compare to those of devolved institutions?This May, the sixth set of elections took place for each of the devolved institutions in the nations of Britain – the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) and the London Assembly. It was a...Posted 20 Aug 2021
Here to Stay: Two Decades of Proportional Representation in BritainThe 6 May 2021 was a milestone for the campaign for fairer votes in Britain. The date marked the sixth set of elections to take place for each of Great Britain’s devolved elected institutions –...Posted 31 Jul 2021
2021 Elections: Millions of voters to get fair representation through PROver 12 million voters have a powerful voice today, with proportional representation used in Wales, Scotland and on the London Assembly. Posted 06 May 2021
New Zealand’s MMP electoral system: how does it work?New Zealand actor Jack Buchanan explains how MMP works in this music video created in partnership with the New Zealand Electoral Commission. Politics in New Zealand can look to outsiders to be much like politics...Posted 14 Oct 2020
Fairer results and real representation: 20 years of PR on the London AssemblyThis week marks 20 years since AMS was first used to elect the London Assembly. How has it fared?Posted 04 May 2020
Is there proportional representation in Scotland?For most of the 20th century, every election in Scotland was conducted under the First Past the Post system, from elections of MPs to local councillors. Much like in the rest of the UK, this...Posted 05 Sep 2019
With first past the post, country and city voters take turns being locked out of governmentFar too often, debates around electoral reform are characterised as the idea of making two pie charts match: one pie chart represents how the country voted, the other the make-up of parliament. The 2015 general...Posted 28 Feb 2019
Which European countries use proportional representation?Of the 43 countries most often considered to be within Europe, 40 use some form of proportional representation to elect their MPs. The UK stands almost alone in Europe in using a ‘one-person-takes-all’ disproportionate voting...Posted 26 Dec 2018