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Thinking about standing for ERS council? Here’s Clare Coatman on why you should

Nominations for our ERS Council have just opened, and we’re looking for passionate reformers prepared to share their time, energy and ideas to stand. The ERS Council the driving force behind our Society. It is the...

Posted 08 Aug 2019

Asking Theresa May To Show ‘Restraint’ In Her Resignation Honours Misses The Point – The Lords Is Bust

When even Peers are calling for an overhaul of the House of Lords, you know the chamber is broken. A few weeks ago, the Lord Speaker’s committee – set up in response to concerns over...

Posted 06 Aug 2019

Relying on the PM’s good will to keep the Lords down to size is a fool’s errand

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

Local elections: How voters in England were cheated by a broken voting system

Local democracy in England and Wales has long been under strain – with contests often seeing dismally low turnout, or indeed no contest taking place at all. But new research from the ERS adds fresh...

Posted 30 Jul 2019

In 17 councils, the party with the largest number of votes did not secure the most seats

Building a stronger Senedd: Why size (still) matters

Almost since its inception, there has been discussion and debate about a larger National Assembly here in Wales. Most recently, an expert panel on Assembly reform led by Professor Laura McAllister stated simply that the...

Posted 19 Jul 2019

Will the Welsh Assembly continue to be unable to reach its potential?

The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: What can be learnt from elsewhere?

How do you ensure the recently-announced Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland is open and transparent while protecting the participants from hostility and excess lobbying? How do you ensure it is independent of government – but also that it...

Posted 17 Jul 2019

There’s plenty of good practice which the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland can draw on

Voters are going beyond left-right divides – and the system can’t handle it

During the first half of 2019, party affiliation among the British electorate became more fragmented and volatile than ever before. In the English local elections on 2 May the Liberal Democrats and Greens – as...

Posted 17 Jul 2019

A two-dimensional political environment is perhaps creating a four-party-plus political system

Ed Davey – Liberal Democrat Leadership Interview

Electoral Reform Society Chief Executive Darren Hughes spoke with Lib Dem leadership candidate Ed Davey Darren Hughes: Ed, thank you very much for joining us as part of your campaign I know that you’ve always...

Posted 12 Jul 2019

Jo Swinson – Liberal Democrat Leadership Interview

Our Chief Executive Darren Hughes interviewed Liberal Democrat Leadership hopeful Jo Swinson on her democratic priorities. Darren Hughes: Let’s kick off with what we’re about at the ERS! Do you think recent events and politics...

Posted 12 Jul 2019