My 20 years of campaigning for votes at 16 This is a guest post from Kelly Harris, a qualified youth worker who has worked with children and young people for 20 years across Wales. I still find it hard to believe that it has been... Posted 26 Apr 2021
Welsh democracy is under threat, we need more members of the Senedd now more than ever Just a few short weeks out from the Senedd elections and it’s clear that the election campaign has now hit full swing. With polls suggesting some uncertainty parties are already setting out their stalls on... Posted 09 Apr 2021
Manifesto for democracy: A Stronger Senedd The Senedd looks very different to when it was first conceived in 1999. Ongoing devolution has meant more powers are held in Cardiff Bay – including primary law-making powers and tax-varying powers that create a... Posted 23 Oct 2020
ERS Cymru’s 2021 Manifesto for Democracy In just over six short months voters in Wales will head to the polls for the Senedd elections. This election will be different in many ways, with many alternative measures expected to be in place... Posted 22 Oct 2020
ERS in the Press – September 2020 As the government continues to implement new restrictions to fight the second wave of coronavirus, the cracks in Britain’s political system continue to grow behind the curtain. In September we released new research on party... Posted 02 Oct 2020
Wales’ Parliament has long been under-resourced – it’s time to change that With just 60 elected members, Wales’ Parliament has long been under-resourced. But that problem has grown as Wales acquired more responsibilities – without the representatives needed to properly scrutinise legislation. Changes to the size of... Posted 11 Sep 2020
Could a citizens’ assembly help set out a post-pandemic recovery plan for Wales? ERS Cymru has advocated for the use of deliberative democracy and citizens’ assemblies for many years. But it’s an idea that has renewed importance when it comes to the Covid pandemic. Posted 09 Jul 2020
Welsh civil society launches ‘democracy manifesto’ for 2021 Senedd elections Civil society groups led by ERS Cymru have launched their ‘democracy asks’ for the 2021 Welsh Senedd elections, throwing down the gauntlet for Welsh parties to back real democracy for voters. Posted 06 Jul 2020
The campaign for a fairer franchise just secured a major victory 16 and 17 year olds in Wales have officially secured the right to vote for Senedd elections, after a crucial piece of legislation received Royal Assent on Wednesday. 16 and 17 year olds in Wales... Posted 15 Jan 2020
Where is proportional representation used in the UK? Westminster’s voting system is well and truly broken. The system with which we elect our MPs is struggling to produce fair and representative results. The 2017 General Election showed that, for the third time in a... Posted 05 Nov 2019