9 things you need to know about the 2019 General ElectionYou probably heard a lot about the number of seats parties won (and lost) in December’s General Election. What was less prominent was just how poorly the results reflected how people actually voted. The ERS...Posted 24 Dec 2019
How the 2019 election results could have looked with proportional representationEver wondered how the 2019 General Election result would have come out with a form of proportional representation? The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a form of proportional representation used in Northern Ireland for all...Posted 13 Dec 2019
What is proportional representation?Lots of people think the way we vote in the UK isn’t fair. They want something called proportional representation. But what does that mean? There are lots of different ways to decide who gets to...Posted 06 Dec 2019
Local elections: How voters in England were cheated by a broken voting systemLocal democracy in England and Wales has long been under strain – with contests often seeing dismally low turnout, or indeed no contest taking place at all. But new research from the ERS adds fresh...Posted 30 Jul 2019
Four ways Westminster’s politics needs fixing this Democracy WeekMonday marks the start of the first ‘National Democracy Week’ – the government’s initiative to encourage democratic participation. It has been established on the premise that “regardless of who we are or where we are...Posted 29 Jun 2018
Slovenia had an election, but who actually won?“Slovenian nationalist party wins parliamentary election” declares the Guardian. “Anti-immigration party wins Slovenia elections” says CNBC. “Anti-immigrant party wins divisive Slovenian election as coalition talks set to begin” says the Telegraph. The Slovenian Democratic Party...Posted 05 Jun 2018
Citizens in British Columbia are set to decide on their voting system. Here is what you should know…Back in May 2017 I brought you the story of the British Columbian general election which had seen no party get half the seats in the Legislative Assembly of Canada’s Westernmost province, leading to a...Posted 01 Jun 2018
Local Elections: Diverse voices are being drowned out by the undemocratic voting system in England and WalesWe are now but two weeks from the 2018 local elections. If you live in London you will have the chance to elect councillors for the first time since 2014. If you reside in the...Posted 19 Apr 2018
More votes but fewer seats? Surely you’re joking?Imagine if at the next General Election one party received the most votes, but another – with fewer votes – returned more MPs. It sounds wholly unfair, undemocratic and absurd. But that is exactly what...Posted 05 Mar 2018
Welsh Assembly must not miss this golden opportunity for reformPolitics in Wales has reached a critical juncture – and this week Assembly Members (AMs) have a big decision to make. One road would see exciting changes to the way politicians are elected, placing power...Posted 06 Feb 2018