The Reformer

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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
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
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...

the responsibility is now squarely on political parties to step up
Welsh Parliament

Why the next Senedd could be the least representative of women ever

The Senedd hit the headlines back in 2003 when it became the first legislature in the world to reach 50:50...

Five days of committee and close to 150 amendments all for a two page bill
House of Lords

House of Lords spends forty hours debating themselves

Last night at 10.20PM, the committee of the whole House of Lords on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill...

We'll be fostering a new generation of voters who will go on to become voting adults
Votes at 16

We should extend the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, here’s why

The Government was elected on a manifesto promise to “increase the engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy by...

The system is more akin to a private members club than a national legislature
House of Lords

It’s not just hereditary peers that are ‘hard to justify’ – It’s the whole unelected chamber

Before Labour won the 2024 general election, the Labour leader in the House of Lords hinted that if Labour were...