Greece changes electoral law, then changes it back Greece is holding their 2023 elections on 21 May, following protests and delays caused by the deadliest rail crash in Greek history on 28 February. The crash won’t be the only thing that might impact... Posted 21 Apr 2023
Local Elections: Frequently Asked Questions In the run-up to the May local elections we often hear the same questions being asked by concerned voters. We thought we’d collect together the answers for some of the most frequently asked questions, we... Posted 17 Apr 2023
Why did the Netherlands adopt nationwide proportional representation? The Dutch prioritised proportionality above all else when creating their system of proportional representation; choosing a single nationwide constituency and a very low threshold. This is different to most countries which try to balance local... Posted 01 Apr 2023
With just weeks to go awareness of voter ID remains worryingly low With less than six weeks to May’s local elections, the problems with the government’s rollout of their disastrous rollout of voter ID are clearer than ever. As we race towards polling day concerns about the... Posted 28 Mar 2023
What was AV+ the electoral system recommended by the Jenkins Report? In their 1997 election manifesto, Labour set out a commitment to hold a referendum on the current First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system. This referendum was never called, however the Labour Party, with support... Posted 27 Mar 2023
Why do so many parties use transferable voting for their leadership elections? The 27th of March sees the announcement of the results of the SNP leadership election. As we wrote a few weeks ago, the SNP uses the Alternative Vote to elect their leader – and they’re... Posted 24 Mar 2023
How do Finland’s elections work? On Sunday 2nd April, voters in Finland will go to the polls to elect a new parliament. Finland’s parliament, known locally as the Eduskunta, contains exactly 200 MPs. 199 of these are elected by Party... Posted 20 Mar 2023
How many countries around the world use proportional representation? Proportional representation is the most popular form of democracy for countries in the world today. Proportional Representation isn’t one electoral system though, it’s the simple idea that the strength of each faction in parliament should... Posted 20 Mar 2023
What elections should the next government reform? Last week we published a blog on UK electoral reforms since 1997 and highlighted that whilst at Westminster the fight for electoral reform continues, the progress of reform across the UK increased and voters are... Posted 08 Mar 2023
What Electoral reforms have there been since 1997? While the need for reforming Westminster’s First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system is getting clearer every day, outside Westminster the process of reform has been slowly, but surely, going in the right direction. While... Posted 02 Mar 2023