One year to win local proportional representation in WalesA year from today, November 15, 2024, is the last day before the next election where your councillors can decide to bring local democracy into the 21st century. I am talking about how councillors are...Posted 15 Nov 2023
We gave evidence to MSs on a new Bill to reform the Senedd – here’s what we saidIn September a new piece of legislation was introduced into the Senedd, which looks set to change how the Welsh Parliament looks and works. The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill, if passed, will see...Posted 10 Nov 2023
Why independent candidates win with the Single Transferable VoteCurrently, 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
Northern Ireland’s local elections show the benefit of the Single Transferable VoteOn the 18th of May, Northern Ireland’s local elections showcased the continued successful use of the Single Transferable Vote (STV). This inclusive and proportional method stands in stark contrast to the disproportionate results witnessed in...Posted 26 May 2023
Why do so many parties use transferable voting for their leadership elections?The 27th of March sees the announcement of the results of the SNP leadership election. As we wrote a few weeks ago, the SNP uses the Alternative Vote to elect their leader – and they’re...Posted 24 Mar 2023
How many countries around the world use proportional representation?This article was updated in January 2025. Proportional representation is the most popular form of democracy for countries in the world today. Proportional Representation isn’t one electoral system though, it’s the simple idea that the...Posted 20 Mar 2023
What elections should the next government reform?Last week we published a blog on UK electoral reforms since 1997 and highlighted that whilst at Westminster the fight for electoral reform continues, the progress of reform across the UK increased and voters are...Posted 08 Mar 2023
What Electoral reforms have there been since 1997?While the need for reforming Westminster’s First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system is getting clearer every day, outside Westminster the process of reform has been slowly, but surely, going in the right direction. While...Posted 02 Mar 2023
What are the alternatives to First Past the Post?Westminster’s First Past the Post system means we don’t get a parliament that fully represents the voting public. Millions of people can support one party and get a single MP, while a few hundred thousand...Posted 19 Jan 2023
The top 5 most-read ERS articles from 2022Every year we have a look through the stats to see which of our articles were the most popular with readers in the year coming to a close. So if you missed them the first...Posted 15 Dec 2022