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

Equality groups sound the alarm on ‘US-style voter suppression’ potentially coming to the UK

Equality organisations are warning that government plans to force all voters to show ID at the ballot box risk locking black and ethnic minority people out of democracy.

Posted 23 Jun 2020

The government’s case for mandatory voter ID has taken another big hit

Recently-published analysis has dealt another blow to the government’s case for mandatory voter ID.

Posted 26 May 2020

Voter ID checks threaten to suppress voter rights ‘on industrial scale’

The Windrush scandal showed what can happen when millions of people who lack ID are shut out by Government. But the announcement in the Queen’s Speech proposing mandatory voter ID checks means there’s a risk of repeating those...

Posted 15 Oct 2019

Five things we have learnt about England’s voter ID trials in May’s local elections

The ID trials, which followed an initial set of pilots last year, required voters in ten English local authorities (Braintree, Broxtowe, Craven, Derby, Mid-Sussex, North Kesteven, North West Leicestershire, Pendle, Watford and Woking) to present personal...

Posted 06 Aug 2019

ERS in the Press: July 2019

July was a busy month in Westminster before MPs headed off for the summer recess. Brexit and the Conservative leadership election dominated the headlines – and we found plenty of opportunities to keep reform of...

Posted 01 Aug 2019

ERS is the Press: May 2019

In a month that began and ended with elections for local councils and the European Parliament – both of which showed the changing nature of British politics and the continued decline of the two main...

Posted 05 Jun 2019

ERS in the Press – April 2019

As we geared up for a big round of local elections in England and Northern Ireland, we’ve been putting reform of Britain’s out-dated politics firmly on the agenda. Fair votes now As the Brexit process...

Posted 01 May 2019

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 unless they bring ID with them, they’ll be turned away. If rolled out nationally –...

Posted 30 Apr 2019

ERS in the Press – March 2019

Brexit might be dominating the news, but the rolling constitutional crisis that we call Westminster is still up to its usual tricks. We’ve spent the last month getting press attention for some of our biggest...

Posted 29 Mar 2019

New figures demolish the government’s argument for mandatory voter ID

The government’s case for excluding voters who lack ID is getting weaker by the day. Last week the Electoral Commission released its latest round of statistics on voter fraud for 2018. The numbers were revealing....

Posted 26 Mar 2019