The Reformer

All Around the World Basics Case Study Current Affairs Commentary Developments at the ERS ERS Cymru ERS Northern Ireland ERS Report Launch ERS Scotland Featured Polling Your Questions Answered
In a representative democracy, we ought to have a Parliament that matches the way people voted
Electoral Reform in Westminster

What’s wrong with First Past the Post?

First Past the Post (FPTP) is the name for the voting system used to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to...

research shows that the Voter ID requirement deterred and effectively disenfranchised an estimated 10,571 potential voters
Voter ID

New research on the chilling effect of voter ID published

New research published last month by Dr Tom Barton at Kings College London shows the potential detrimental effect of new...

With growing support for more parties, voters are demanding more choice
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Why are our mayors winning on less than 30% of the vote?

This past week’s mayoral elections marked a worrying milestone for democracy in England. For the first time ever, two combined...

The two party system is coming under pressure in a way not seen for a generation
Electoral Reform in Westminster

The end of the two-party system? What the experts are saying about the 2025 local elections

Since the votes cast in the local elections were counted on Friday there has been extensive debate among experts and...

This election marks a turning point - not just in who governs Wales, but in how that governance works
ERS Cymru

One year to go until a Senedd election all about change

In a year’s time, voters across Wales will head to the polls to elect a new Senedd for the seventh...

Mayors could be elected with the backing of fewer than 30 percent of voters
English Local Democracy

Are we going to see Mayors elected with even lower levels of public support in 2025?

Four Combined Authority mayors will be elected on 1 May 2025, but changes to the rules could see mayors taking...

Our Parliament has made positive steps toward equal representation, but there’s still room for improvement
Women in Politics

It’s no accident that there are not enough women in Parliament

Women’s equal representation in Parliament matters for a host of reasons. From the simple fact that 50% of us are...

First Past the Post has randomly thrown up parliaments that bear little resemblance to how Canadians voted
Electoral Reform in Westminster

First Past the Post has played havoc with Canadian federal elections

Earlier this year, we wrote about Justin Trudeau’s regret at failing to deliver electoral reform during his near decade as...

There is a business-as-usual ‘jobs for mates’ approach at Westminster
House of Lords

Rishi Sunak’s resignation peerages will do nothing to help collapsing trust in politics

Ten months after the last government ended, it is still able to stuff yet more peers into the grossly oversized...

Automatic voter registration could have a huge impact on the number of people who vote
Voter Registration

Friday 11th April should be the last time electors had to actively register to vote

The deadline to register to vote in the local elections on 1 May was 11 April. Last February we estimated...

It makes no difference who many voters in England and Wales vote for
English Local Democracy

Why all local councils should be elected with proportional representation

If you live in England, you might be casting a vote for a councillor in a local election this May...

Peers’ behaviour over removal of hereditaries makes most compelling case for Lords reform
House of Lords

Leading lord makes open threat to government in last ditch attempt to save hereditary peers

For weeks now we have watched the bill to remove the 88 remaining hereditary peers make slow progress through the...