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2023 at the ERS: Our major milestones and achievements

Each year we write an Annual Report which looks back at our achievements across the last 12 months, and explains how our team have campaigned towards securing our vision for a democracy fit for the...

Posted 25 Nov 2023

Annual Report: The major milestones in our campaign in 2023

2023 at the ERS: Our year campaigning for change

Posted 24 Nov 2023

Annual Report: How we've led the charge for reform in 2023

The political reforms that were lacking from the King’s Speech

Democracy was a conspicuous omission from yesterday’s King’s Speech. The pomp and ceremony of the occasion was the government’s last chance to set out a legislative agenda before the next election. Yet despite Rishi Sunak...

Posted 08 Nov 2023

Here is what we would like to see in a King’s Speech that was serious about repairing our democracy

Why independent candidates win with the Single Transferable Vote

Currently, there are 14 independent MPs in the House of Commons, which might seem to suggest Independent candidates can win under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP). But these MPs are only independent because they were suspended from their...

Posted 01 Nov 2023

When voters have an electoral system that works for them, Independent councillors get elected

How proportional representation worked in the Polish election

With a population of around 40 million, Poland is the European Union’s fifth largest member and by far the largest of its eastern states. It is therefore worth taking notice of any national election in...

Posted 26 Oct 2023

The next ‘Portillo Moment’? Who could be at risk

The two large Conservative majorities overturned in last week’s by-elections have led to media speculation that even frontbenchers of the Government in ‘safe seats’ are at risk of their very own ‘Portillo moment’. The phrase...

Posted 25 Oct 2023

Latest by-elections reveal flaws of First Past the Post

The two UK parliamentary by-elections, held on 19 October 2023, saw some dramatic outcomes. In Mid Bedfordshire, Labour overturned the biggest majority (24,664) in any by-election since at least 1945. In Tamworth, Labour achieved its...

Posted 20 Oct 2023

SNP Conference: ERS Scotland’s packed fringe event rings out for strengthening local democracy

A vibrant and powerful local democracy creates the basis for building strong communities. From the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis people have shown they are willing to devote time and care to those in need....

Posted 19 Oct 2023

Democracy is major theme at Labour conference

Following last year’s successful motion on proportional representation, electoral reform and improving our democracy remained some of the biggest topics of discussion at Labour conference this year. The Electoral Reform Society team organised and spoke...

Posted 13 Oct 2023

Darren Hughes and Mick Antoniw at Labour Conference

Making the case for electoral reform at Conservative Conference

As a non-partisan organisation, we attend all the major party conferences to make the case for electoral reform. There is a long history of electoral reform supporters in the Conservative Party, with Conservative Action for...

Posted 05 Oct 2023