News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

Around the World | Current Affairs Commentary | Developments at the ERS | Your Questions Answered

View by category

View by date

How elections for the Mayor of London will work

On May 6, one year after elections were supposed to be held, more than six million Londoners will be called to the polling stations to elect their mayor (alongside 25 members of the London Assembly)...

Posted 01 Apr 2021

London’s Mayor will be elected using the Supplementary Vote making more votes matter

We can’t let the government force a broken system on important elections

This week, Home Secretary Priti Patel laid out new plans as part of a review into the role of Police and Crime Commissioners. The move would see the current preference-based Supplementary Vote (SV) system replaced...

Posted 19 Mar 2021

Imposing a broken system, without public support, can only serve to undermine these positions

There are big reasons some people won’t vote this May – and it’s not just Covid

When one party takes all – on a fraction of the vote – people understandably feel alienated and voiceless, and new research appears to back this up.

Posted 19 Mar 2021

Ministers need to tackle the main impediment to voting

Making it easier for unpopular candidates to become Mayors turns back the clock

These are deeply concerning plans to change our elections.

Posted 18 Mar 2021

With all the challenges facing the country right now why is this on the priority list

What can we learn from the evolution of English devolution?

There has been considerable discussion about the ‘Union’ and efforts to save it in recent months, given the increasing support for nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales, and growing talk of a border poll in...

Posted 09 Mar 2021

Successful devolution requires genuine public involvement from the bottom-up

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.

Posted 15 Feb 2021

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 delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Here's what we know.

Posted 05 Feb 2021

In Wales and Scotland there has been far greater transparency

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 party figures suggesting delays are likely, despite official advice that plans are unchanged but ‘under...

Posted 21 Jan 2021

Elections are fundamental to democracy and must be properly managed

Scotland’s local democracy is not an optional extra

The experience of the covid-19 crisis has served to underline and strengthen the case ERS Scotland has long been making for a revamped local democracy. The work undertaken in recent years – alongside a range...

Posted 14 Jan 2021

Thriving, empowered communities develop the foundations for long term prosperity

Democracy delayed? Voters and officials need clarity now on England’s May elections

Toby James, University of East Anglia and Alistair Clark, Newcastle University Which activities are essential during a pandemic? Across England, school buildings have been closed, as have many shops, businesses and sports facilities. So what...

Posted 08 Jan 2021