News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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How does proportional representation work?

Proportional representation (PR) is not a voting system in itself. Instead, it’s the idea that seats in parliament should reflect the proportion of votes cast; something which can be achieved through a variety of electoral...

Posted 05 Sep 2024

“If we want fairer elections where votes truly matter, we need proportional representation”

Ceredigion: Have your say on fairer elections

Ceredigion County Council have just taken the next step of their journey towards fairer elections by launching a consultation on changing the voting system at local elections. The consultation comes following the passing of a...

Posted 17 Jul 2024

Ceredigion - Have your say on fairer elections

Where is Single Transferable Vote used in the UK?

Whilst First Past the Post is used for Westminster elections in the UK, it’s not the only way we elect people to office in the UK. Other voting systems have a long history and are...

Posted 29 Mar 2024

MPs and Peers recognise the benefits of STV when they are the voters

Who invented the Single Transferable Vote?

The Electoral Reform Society has long held up the Single Transferable Vote as the gold standard for proportional representation. It’s a way of electing our representatives that produces a proportional chamber, and hands power to...

Posted 06 Mar 2024

We have long held up the Single Transferable Vote (STV) as the gold standard for proportional representation

140 years of winning electoral reform

On a chilly evening exactly 140 years ago, a diverse group gathered at 7 Clarges Street, Westminster. Brought together by the Victorian naturalist, archaeologist and polymath Sir John Lubbock, it was clear to them that the...

Posted 16 Jan 2024

The present political landscape would appear both radically different and depressingly similar to our forebears in 1884