14 Million Voters Are In Seats That Haven’t Changed Hands Since WW2. Here’s Why Nearly 14 million voters are in seats that have not changed party hands since the Second World War, according to new research by the Electoral Reform Society. Taking into account equivalent predecessor seats, some seats have... Posted 09 Dec 2019
What is proportional representation? Parties from across the political spectrum are lining up against our voting system and calling for proportional representation, but what does that term mean? There are lots of different ways to decide who gets to... Posted 06 Dec 2019
STV: a 200-year quest for fair voting This December, the UK we will be voting in yet another general election using First Past the Post – a system where one party can gain an overall majority of seats with only 35% to... Posted 27 Nov 2019
We should be scrutinising candidates and policies. Instead the talk is of tactics and pacts Judging by the first week of the general election campaign, it seems likely that the remaining month will see a lot of focus on ‘tactical’ issues. We’ve already seen electoral pacts, or parties standing down... Posted 13 Nov 2019
What is tactical voting and why is it bad for democracy? In a Westminster election, tactical voting takes place when a voter chooses a candidate whom they wouldn’t normally support, in order to prevent another candidate from winning. For example, if you want to vote for... Posted 12 Nov 2019
Meet the new ERS Council After a well-contested election, the Electoral Reform Society have a new Council to govern the Society for the next two years. Nearly 850 members took part, with 50 candidates standing for the 12 seats available.... Posted 22 Oct 2019
A tale of two local by-elections: how STV produces fairer outcomes On Thursday 3rd October, as on most Thursdays, several local authority by-elections took place throughout Britain. These by-elections occur when a vacancy arises due to a local councillor resigning or passing away. Two of Thursday’s... Posted 04 Oct 2019
Is there proportional representation in Scotland? For most of the 20th century, every election in Scotland was conducted under the First Past the Post system, from elections of MPs to local councillors. Much like in the rest of the UK, this... Posted 05 Sep 2019
How is the European Parliament Elected? Voters across the EU will be heading to the polls this week to elect the 751 representatives to the European Parliament (known as MEPs). Elections will be held in the UK on the 23rd of... Posted 21 May 2019
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