A 2015 Electoral Commission report pointed out that 3.5 million citizens in the UK do not have access to photo ID, and 11 million citizens do not have a passport or driving licence – the kind of ID expected to be required under any new legislation.
Despite announcing a bill to protect ‘electoral integrity’, there was inaction on updating Britain’s outdated election campaign rules. Our new briefing points to over a dozen major gaps in the law that make our elections vulnerable.
As the Welsh Assembly takes a historic step towards extending voting to 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales, Daniel Priestley – Law Student at Cardiff University currently on placement with the Electoral Reform Society shares how the move could create real change for democracy in Wales.
There’s a growing recognition that the gentlemen’s agreements that used to ensure constitutional stability have broken down. It's time for political reform that puts voters at the centre.
Whichever side of the Brexit debate people are on, one feeling is clear: voters feel disenfranchised and frustrated at Westminster’s chaotic handling of the Brexit process. What would a positive response to the current ‘constitutional chaos’ look like?
Newly-released figures from the Electoral Commission suggest that, as of last December, 17% of eligible voters in Great Britain might not be registered to vote—meaning as many as 9.4 million people could be unable to cast their ballot if a snap election is called.
Two by-elections held on the same day highlight how the Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral system, used for Scottish and Northern Irish local elections, produces much fairer outcomes than First Past The Post (FPTP), which is used for Welsh and English local elections.
