News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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We can do referendums better in the UK. Here’s how.

This article was first published by Times Red Box Last week’s referendum raised some serious questions about the nature of the democracy we have – and the type we want to create. Unlike other countries,...

Posted 30 Jun 2016

One day left to get clued up about your #EUref vote

The below is an open letter to voters for the last day before the referendum by a number of organisations who have been pushing for a better referendum debate. Voting requires confidence and a decent,...

Posted 22 Jun 2016

Let’s not settle for a low #EUref turnout

It’s generally a fool’s game to predict poll turnout. But there are some signs which can give you a clue. One is how likely people they are to say they’ll vote. Today – with a...

Posted 16 Jun 2016

The public are switched off by #EUref ‘big beasts’

The past few months have seen the campaigns – perhaps understandably – wheel out the ‘big beasts’ from the various parties in an attempt to bring people over. But polling by BMG Research which we...

Posted 10 Jun 2016

Let’s close the EU referendum generation gap

If you feel let down by the state of the EU referendum debate you’re not on your own. But it turns out there’s one group who are being especially locked out of the conversation: young...

Posted 03 Jun 2016

Today, we can build a better referendum debate

Let’s be frank: the EU debate so far has been fairly dire. Dominated by personality politics, party spats and contradictory statistics, it has failed to inspire – or properly inform – the public. But it...

Posted 25 May 2016

Democracy Matters: Why we need ‘A Better Referendum’

This is a guest blog by Professor Matthew Flinders. The opinions expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Electoral Reform Society.  Life, it would often appear, seems dominated...

Posted 23 May 2016

How we’re opening up the EU debate

If you think the EU referendum debate so far has been focused far too much on the personalities and internal party spats than the real issues that affect you and the country, you’re not on...

Posted 19 May 2016

The Other EU Referendum

With only 76 days until polls open in Britain’s EU referendum there is now a diminishing amount of time before the campaign reaches its zenith. Yet, it may have escaped the notice of many Britons...

Posted 07 Apr 2016