The Reformer

Every major party uses something like the Alternative Vote to elect their leader

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...

Central party leaders have little influence over who is elected

How do Finland’s elections work?

On Sunday 2nd April, voters in Finland will go to the polls to elect a new parliament. Finland’s parliament, known...

Proportional representation is the most popular form of democracy in the world today

How many countries around the world use proportional representation?

This article was updated in November 2025. Proportional representation is the most popular form of democracy for countries in the...

The biggest reform would be changing the voting system at Westminster

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...

Polling Station Car Park

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...

Carl Andrae

How did Denmark get proportional representation?

Denmark today is home to one of the most proportional voting systems in the world, but, for a long time,...

There are six Government Whips in the House of Lords

Are there whips in the House of Lords?

From 1990s TV series House of Cards to James Graham’s play This House, the role of the Whip in British...

Victor d'Hondt

Why did Belgium adopt proportional representation?

In 1899, Belgium became the first country in the world to adopt a proportional system for national elections. At that...

There are lots of options for upgrading Westminsters system

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...

Switzerland PR cartoon

How did Switzerland get proportional representation?

In the early 1890s, a handful of Swiss cantons (states) held the first public elections in Europe to truly use...

Twitter App icon

The 9 best politics Twitter accounts to follow for fans of elections

Becoming more informed in politics can be daunting. There’s so much information to consume and it comes at you so...

Driving Licence Voter ID

Voter ID that you can use in UK elections – and how to get it

All voters now need to bring a form of photographic identification to vote. The government has now confirmed in secondary...