The Reformer

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Electoral Reform in Westminster

How a landmark bill could enhance democracy in the US

February 16, 2021

The 2020 US presidential election and down-ballot races were a success for democratic participation. The presidential race saw a record...

ERS Cymru

Wales’ planning for the May elections is a welcome contrast to Westminster

Key decisions on May's elections in Wales will be driven by consensus and cooperation, rather than ministerial diktat.

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Electoral Reform in Westminster

MPs step up parliamentary push for electoral reform with new cross-party campaign

MPs have launched a fresh effort to reform  Westminster’s undemocratic voting laws, with a new all-party group pushing for change....

Electoral Reform in Westminster

A bumper year for local elections – but a dud system is holding England back

February 12, 2021

Last week, the government announced that the elections on May 6th will go ahead – a welcome bit of clarity....

House of Lords
House of Lords

An unenviable milestone – we must stop the bloat of our oversized second chamber

This week the House of Lords hit an unenviable milestone – once again topping over 800 members following Boris Johnson’s...

Citizens' Assemblies

Scotland’s ground-breaking Citizens’ Assembly has wrapped up. What’s next?

February 9, 2021

Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly, a deliberative body made up of 100 citizens reflecting the country’s demographics, concluded in January and...

Electoral Reform in Westminster

Bills are being proposed across the US to scrap First Past the Post

February 5, 2021

Electoral reform is gaining momentum across the USA as an impressive number of state legislatures are considering reforming their local...

In Wales and Scotland there has been far greater transparency
Local democracy

Finally, some clarity on England’s local elections

UK ministers have finally confirmed that local elections in England will go ahead on the 6th of May, after being...

Politics too often feels like a London dominated private members club with citizens locked out
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Activists are calling on Keir Starmer to back ambitious political reform, following a key Labour report

Leading Labour figures and democracy campaigners have urged the Labour party to get behind major political reform, following the launch...

Newspapers
Electoral Reform in Westminster

ERS in the Press – January 2021

As a new year begins, but the effects of the national lockdown continue, democratic issues continue to make the headlines...

House of Lords
House of Lords

Why we need more than piecemeal reform of the House of Lords

The House of Lords is back in the spotlight, with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying that replacing the House...

Elections are fundamental to democracy and must be properly managed
Local democracy

What is going on with England’s May elections?

This past week we’ve seen a dizzying array of conflicting reports for the government’s plans for May’s polls, with Conservative...