This month we’ve had some fantastic coverage of our issues in the press, here’s just a highlight.
Calls to lower UK voting age as Welsh assembly considers change.
Our call for a “united franchise” – with 16 and 17 year olds having the vote in all elections across the UK – was picked up by The Guardian.
UK needs an elected transparent senate
The London Evening Standard published our letter on the House of Lords and the need for greater accountability. It was selected as the featured letter on October 8, earning a response from the Editor – George Osborne – in which he wished the ERS luck in our efforts to reform the Lords.
Rules Governing Online Political Ads Leave UK ‘Vulnerable To Foreign Influence’, Says Electoral Reform Society
This month we’ve worked hard to raise the issue of a ‘wild west’ in campaign regulation, calling for a legal requirement for all digital political adverts to carry an imprint stating their origin and funder. This was covered on HuffPost.
The electoral reform policy plan to end Russian interference in the UK
This op-ed on our broader calls for campaign regulation was the featured story on politics.co.uk. It drew on recent revelations about Russian interference in foreign affairs to stress the urgent need for tighter regulations.
Jess Garland: Here’s why UK election rules are a cheaters’ charter
Our demands for major changes to the regulations governing digital campaigns were also picked up north of the border by The Scotsman, which ran a comment piece by ERS Director, Jess Garland. The Scotsman also covered our calls for proportional representation after a
Corbyn needs to focus his democratic vision on Westminster
We’re pleased to be working alongside Politics For The Many – the trade union campaign for political reform. This month, Jeremy Corbyn’s former trade union adviser Nancy Platts was featured in The Times, setting out some of the democratic reforms needed at Westminster.
Without an overhaul of Westminster, Corbyn’s vision for the economy won’t last
In this piece by Nancy Platts, run by Red Pepper, she emphasises the need for political reform to accompany the kind of economic democratisation set out by Jeremy Corbyn in his conference speech.
50,000 sign Sky News petition to make TV election debates happen
In October we backed Sky News’ campaign to make TV debates a core part of elections. This is an issue we’ve long been campaigning for, in tandem with our call to bring election rules into the 21st century. Sky’s campaign has been gaining momentum, spurred on by backers like the ERS and key politicians.
All this has been alongside interviews on LBC, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Sunday Politics Wales: we’re keeping democratic reform on the agenda.