Does Australia use First Past the Post? Australians head to the polls tomorrow to elect all 151 members of the Federal House of Representatives and 40 of their 76 Senators. Australian elections are world-renowned for their beloved ‘Democracy Sausages’ and the fact... Posted 17 May 2019
What does preferential voting mean? There has been talking recently about using preferential voting to solve the Brexit impasse – whether through MPs using it to find a form of Brexit that parliament can support or through a referendum. When... Posted 26 Mar 2019
Welsh Assembly must not miss this golden opportunity for reform Politics in Wales has reached a critical juncture – and this week Assembly Members (AMs) have a big decision to make. One road would see exciting changes to the way politicians are elected, placing power... Posted 06 Feb 2018
The myth that Westminster’s voting system is ‘strong and stable’ has been bust for good If ‘strong and stable’ has been the motto of Parliament’s First Past the Post voting system, June 5th put an end to that myth once and for all. For the third time in a row,... Posted 24 Aug 2017
Electoral reform returns to the agenda in British Columbia British Columbia, Canada’s most Western province, has often been the site of electoral reform intrigue. In the run-up to the 1952 provincial election the Conservative and Liberal parties tried to stop the socialist Co-operative Commonwealth... Posted 18 May 2017
Fighting for fair votes around the world – lessons from the Global Greens Congress Proportional representation has been a longstanding campaign of the Greens. But not just here in the UK – democratic reform is often a key plank of Green platforms. So it was fascinating to see leaders... Posted 07 Apr 2017
How PR ‘completely transformed’ New Zealand politics: Metiria Turei, Green Party co-leader In 1996, New Zealand introduced the Mixed Member Proportion (MMP) voting system – a mixed FPTP and proportional list voting system. It was a big step forward for the fight for fair votes everywhere. I... Posted 06 Apr 2017
How will the 2017 French presidential election work? After last year’s political whirlwind, attention has turned to 2017’s elections for evidence of further shocks. Voters are going to the polls in the Netherlands, in Germany but most attention is focused on France, whose... Posted 13 Jan 2017
Missing in Richmond: voter choice Well, the results are in. Campaigners campaigned, and voters voted. But not all was well. Because the elephant in the room in this by-election was the absence of something that should be a given in... Posted 02 Dec 2016
Building a stronger National Assembly, or why ‘We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat…’ Given the tidal waves that have rocked our politics this year, it may seem an unusual time to be discussing the need for more Assembly Members. In a year of populist shocks and rhetoric, the... Posted 01 Dec 2016