If people want change in Ireland, they can get it at the ballot box As part of a series on the experiences of voters in the Irish 2020 election, we wanted to speak with voters who have voted with Ireland’s STV system and under Westminster’s First Past the Post... Posted 11 Feb 2020
Voters dislike disproportionate results – even when their own party benefits As political parties and commentators continue to digest the result of the 2019 general election, one issue that keeps coming up is how unjust Britain’s electoral system is. But how do voters feel about it?... Posted 11 Feb 2020
ERS in the Press – January 2020 Following December’s General Election we have continued to make the case for a fairer, proportional voting system, highlighting the warped nature of December’s results and the negative effect of First Past the Post on our... Posted 07 Feb 2020
Ireland’s TV debates show the difference the electoral system makes On Tuesday the 4th February, ITV’s political editor Robert Peston tweeted: The Irish leaders’ debate is really quite shocking. The three leaders have a detailed grasp of complex welfare and tax issues, they are polite... Posted 06 Feb 2020
Ireland beats the UK in satisfaction with democracy In a new study, researchers at Cambridge University have ranked Ireland among just seven countries worldwide where more than 75% of citizens are content with democracy. This high level of satisfaction ranks Ireland fifth in... Posted 06 Feb 2020
Keir Starmer: “we’ve got to address the fact that millions of people vote in safe seats and they feel their vote doesn’t count” Keir Starmer’s backing of electoral reform puts democracy at the heart of Labour’s leadership contest From one Keir to another, support for electoral reform is growing. Labour Party Leadership frontrunner Sir Keir Starmer this morning... Posted 31 Jan 2020
People are rightly losing faith in politics, it’s time for democratic renewal A new report by the recently established Centre for the Future of Democracy at the University of Cambridge has found that dissatisfaction with democracy has reached an all-time global high. Westminster-style democracies (the UK, Australia,... Posted 31 Jan 2020
Britain’s campaign laws leave our elections open to fake news and manipulation December’s election was the third Westminster election in four years. Each one of those has highlighted a growing crisis facing the UK’s electoral politics. In an article published by The Guardian, Cambridge Analytica whistle-blower Brittany... Posted 29 Jan 2020
England, give young people the vote like your neighbours If you were a 16 or 17-year-old is Scotland, you probably felt quite annoyed at being left out of December’s General Election. If it had been a Scottish Parliament or Local Council Election you would have... Posted 29 Jan 2020
What we learnt from the ERS / Open Labour leadership hustings Labour’s leadership candidates backed a range of constitutional reforms at Sunday’s joint Open Labour/Electoral Reform Society hustings, as they were challenged on how to fix Britain’s broken political system. When asked about their views on... Posted 27 Jan 2020