The 2024 election was the most disproportional in British history. 16.6 million people ended up with an MP they didn't vote for. The Elections Bill could change this – but only if we demand fair votes now. buff.ly/liRmLTs

As the government’s upcoming Elections Bill is set to expand the franchise for all elections to 16, here is why voting isn’t like drinking and smoking.

Every lawmaker should answer to the people. It's time for an elected House of Lords. buff.ly/GNXnFru

The Elections Bill is packed with progress – but it's missing the one change that matters most: fair votes. buff.ly/liRmLTs

Delighted that we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are once again supporting this annual online event aimed at reaching people currently under-represented in the think tank sector… please share with your networks… www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/worki...

The government’s reasons for cancelling these elections are not good enough.

"The talk is Mandelson today, but the real question is why the system of patronage and an unelected second chamber is still allowed to exist. It’s way past time to abolish it and urgently replace it with something elected and modern."

"Politics and business are bound together in the Lords, with peers able to book plush rooms to pursue their private interests."

Members of the Lords are not only unelected, but virtually immune from democratic accountability. buff.ly/LbGftT9

The government is scrapping First Past the Post for mayoral elections and moving back to the traditional system. But with more and more parties on similar shares of the vote, the case is building for an upgrade.

William Hague has called for much greater use of citizens' assemblies to help renew our democracy. buff.ly/HySg7D1

The Dunfermline New City Assembly will be meeting again for their second weekend soon. Here's what happened on the first.

The first weekend the Dunfermline New City Assembly is just the beginning, but it was a fantastic foundation for something really significant. buff.ly/ddcnGe1

As the Electoral Commission noted, “We do not think that capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long planned elections” buff.ly/GLXYNG8

If you missed them the first time around, here are our top 5 most-read articles of 2025!

At present, a single donor can give an unlimited amount of money to a party at any time. The government must add donations caps to the upcoming Elections Bill.

Each constituency has a single MP, yet for most people this means the MP who “represents” them in parliament doesn’t share their politics, didn’t win a majority of the vote in their local area, and was chosen by a tiny handful of party insiders long before election day.

We don't have a position on whether the House of Lords is doing the right thing in delaying these bills. But the public should be able to hold them to account for these choices. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It is concerning that elections could be seen as something that detracts from councils’ roles, rather than the vital mandate local politicians need to make decisions for the residents they serve.

The Dunfermline Assembly has brought together a representative group of residents who care deeply about their city and want to contribute to its future.

The only proven long-term effect of early voting is positive. People who vote when they are young are more likely to continue voting throughout their lives. Participation builds habit.

Business leaders have called out the UK's First Past the Post system for damaging business confidence, creating hesitancy to invest and discouraging the long-term planning.

When we don’t want people to pick up an activity, we don’t let them start until they are 18. Sixteen-year-olds do not need protecting from voting. They need access to it. buff.ly/88J27WT

Elections are the key pillar of our democracy and should not be dismissed as a bureaucratic inconvenience. It is concerning that elections could be seen as something that detracts from councils’ roles, rather than the vital mandate local politicians need. buff.ly/njsYDDu

A leading pollster has predicted that "A significant number of councillors could be elected on less than 30% of the vote, with very small majorities" at the upcoming London elections. We shouldn't have to tolerate a voting system that fails to represent us time after time

"The UK’s consequent short-termist and unpredictable policies actively damage business confidence, creating the hesitancy to invest and discouraging the long-term planning" First Past the Post is bad for business. buff.ly/LfEs6B1

When one party holds most of the seats on less than half the votes, the supposed “majority” is fragile from the start. The real fights aren’t across the floor of the Commons, but inside the ruling party itself. It may look stable on paper, but inside it’s a house divided.

A recent poll, found that 57% of people support the introduction of a cap on the amount of money individuals or companies can donate to parties, while just 7% were against. The government should use the upcoming Elections Bill to limit the warping impact of big money donors

For all the talk of “strong government,” the reality of single-party rule under First Past the Post often looks anything but. buff.ly/T7heh6l

Caps on how much people can donate to politicians are a common sense policy that will help protect the fabric of our democracy in the years ahead, and as recent polling shows, will be going with the grain of public opinion.

Great letter from business leaders in the FT highlighting how chaos under First Past the Post has caused economic uncertainty and hurt growth. “An electoral system that truly represents the electorate will be good for business, good for politics, and good for the British people.” buff.ly/FcziiyP

Lord True, the Conservative leader in the Lords, warned ministers they would face “very aggressive procedural action” if they went ahead with removing the hereditary peers.

Recent polling by YouGov found that just 13% of people think that individuals should be allowed to give as much as they wish to political parties. Nobody should be able to buy a louder voice in politics - it's time for a donations cap buff.ly/tAWG3SA

"The forthcoming Elections Bill is the perfect opportunity for the government to introduce such a a measure." @electoralreform.bsky.social

While not as serious as the health misinformation in this article, everyday we get phone calls regarding Reform UK membership as Google AI Overviews suggests our contact details for searches about Reform membership www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Which electoral reform issues mattered most to readers in 2025? Our year-end round-up highlights the five ERS articles that generated the most interest and discussion over the past twelve months.

A donation cap is normal in many democracies. 57% of the British public want one here too, so why do we still not have one? electoral-reform.org.uk/british-publ...

New Zealand has always been at the vanguard of democratic reform, giving women the vote in 1893. But they waited until the 1990s to free themselves from First Past the Post - and ensure that not only did everyone have the vote, but that they had an equal vote.

Every country saddled with First Past the Post has campaigners trying to overturn it. Canada is one such country, that has been afflicted with parliaments that bare little resemblance to how they voted.

With First Past the Post, a party doesn't need to win half the votes, or even the most votes, to rule on their own - and that can have serious consequences, as South Africa discovered in 1948. buff.ly/Sp3GTcv

In 1948, South Africa’s National Party campaigned for an apartheid system. They won 37.7% of the vote, not even the most votes, the United Party, won 49.2%. But due to First Past the Post, they won the election and set the course of South African history.

We sent a letter to the minister, signed by 19 other organisations, laying out why we need caps on political donations in the UK.

As we told Politics Home, uncapped donations risk a corrosive effect on public trust in politics at a time when it is already at record lows.

🆕 With the govt’s #ElectionsBill set to land in the coming weeks, we have a new entry in our ‘Bold Ideas for Electoral Reform’ series. Bob Posner, former @electoralcommission.org.uk chief exec, calls for year-round limits on political parties’ spending to prevent the cost of elections spiralling.

What could voters expect to see if proportional representation – specifically, the Single Transferable Vote – is introduced in the UK?

Next May, we are going to see councillors elected that are wildly out of step with the local political mood - as First Past the Post allows candidates to slip into office among a fractured field. It doesn't have to be like this

If the referee can be leaned on by one team, trust in the game evaporates.

The ERS teams in Wales and Scotland have been working hard this year - find out what they have been up to in our 2024 Annual Review.

First Past the Post has left our politics and country in a state of a one team-takes-all mentality, where the losers make up most of the country. In 2024, 57.8% voted for someone who didn’t get elected. buff.ly/8O75zoH