The Reformer

A new all-party group has been launched to update Britain’s ‘wild west’ election campaign rules

As we get closer to the European elections, here’s a worrying fact: our elections are currently wide open to foreign...

England’s 2019 local elections – The places where around half of voters go unrepresented

On 2 May, thousands of people were elected to serve as councillors in local authorities across England. While a lot of attention...

The plans to save Westminster are a missed opportunity to re-build our democracy

Yesterday the government has published its long-awaited Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill setting out its plans to repair the...

A small, but important, victory for voters

Imprints – finally some action to update our analogue laws for the digital age

In a victory for voters; campaigners; academics; the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee; and the Electoral Commission, among many...

Citizen-led decision making was brought up again and again in fringes and on the conference floor

SNP delegates pack out ERS Scotland fringes

On Sunday at SNP spring conference, delegates showed their interest in a deliberative and local democracy by packing out 2...

Voter ID Required

Local elections: How voter ID trial could undermine the right to vote

Here’s something you might not know about Thursday’s local elections: hundreds of thousands of potential voters are being told that...

Conservative MPs back proportional representation, arguing First Past the Post “encourages conflict and aggression”

MPs from across the spectrum made the case for reforming the Commons’ ‘divisive, broken electoral system’ on Tuesday, in a...

Uncontested seats mean thousands of voters will be denied their democratic rights

Next week, on Thursday, 2 May, voters in many parts of England will go to the polls to elect their...

Election Cancelled

Democracy cancelled: How parties have captured hundreds of seats before local election day

Large parts of England are effectively democracy deserts, with hundreds of thousands of potential voters denied real choice in this...

Ministers can’t let themselves of the hook when it comes to tackling the social media ‘Wild West’

Last week the government launched a consultation into tackling ‘online harm’. It’s the first step towards dealing with the tech...

Votes are chewed up by the meat-grinder of Westminster’s voting system

Why A General Election Won’t Solve The Brexit Deadlock

One piece of news got buried last week. While Labour held on to Newport West in Thursday’s by-election, the full...

Forcing people to vote won’t tackle the causes of low turnout, merely the symptoms.

Should we make voting compulsory?

Elections with low-turnout are not uncommon in the UK, so it’s only natural that questions are often raised on how...