Thinking about standing for ERS council? Here’s Clare Coatman on why you should

Nominations for our ERS Council have just opened, and we’re looking for passionate reformers prepared to share their time, energy and ideas to stand.

The ERS Council the driving force behind our Society. It is the governing body of the Society, with ultimate responsibility for its governance and administration. Council members set our strategy and take an active part in shaping the direction of our campaigns.

Would you like to get involved and play an important role in the Society?

Members of the Society both stand and vote in our Council elections. With nominations now open, this is an exciting opportunity to help shape the Society’s agenda. Could you inject energy and enthusiasm into the job of building a better democracy?

Clare Coatman served on our Council for 6 years. We asked her to provide some insight for those of our members who are thinking of getting involved…

Hi, I’m Clare Coatman, I’m a campaigner and I served on the ERS Council from 2011 to 2017 and from 2014 I also served as the Treasurer sitting in the Officers’ Group.

I got a huge amount from serving on the ERS Council, I loved working with the very passionate, very talented staff team and also getting to know other committed activists and helping advance the cause of electoral reform.

I’d really encourage anyone to stand for election in particular people who want to work at the governance level of an organisation, looking at the finances, strategy, the longer term. It’s a really exciting opportunity to look at the big picture rather than the nitty-gritty that we all have to deal with not day-to-day jobs.

I’d also really encourage anyone to stand who’s from an underrepresented group. It’s a really welcoming environment on the council and a diversity of opinions and experiences in the room makes the decisions much more robust.

If you’d like to get involved and put yourself forward for our Council, you will first need to be a member of the Society. If you’d like more information on how to nominate yourself, please visit our nominations website.