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| Abbreviation | ERS |
|---|---|
| Founded | 16 January 1884; 142 years ago (1884-01-16) London,United Kingdom |
| Type | Non-governmental organisation |
| Focus | Democracy,electoral reform,elections |
| Location | |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Method | Lobbying,research,innovation |
Key people |
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| Affiliations | Proportional Representation Society of Ireland (1911–1922) |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | Proportional Representation Society |
TheElectoral Reform Society (ERS) is anindependent advocacy organisation in theUnited Kingdom which promoteselectoral reform. It seeks to replacefirst-past-the-post voting withproportional representation, advocating thesingle transferable vote, andan elected upper house of Parliament.[1] It is the world's oldest still-extant electoral reform campaign.
The Electoral Reform Society seeks a "representative democracy fit for the 21st century."[2] The society advocates the replacement of thefirst-past-the-post andplurality-at-large voting systems with a proportional voting system, thesingle transferable vote. First-past-the-post is currently used forelections to the House of Commons and for most local elections in England and Wales, while plurality-at-large is used in multi-member council wards in England and Wales, and was historically used in the multi-member parliamentary constituencies before their abolition.[3]
It also campaigns for improvements to public elections and representative democracy, and is a regular commentator on all aspects of representation, public participation and democratic governance in the United Kingdom.
The ERS was founded in January 1884 as theProportional Representation Society by the polymath and politicianJohn Lubbock.[4] By the end of the year, the society had attracted the support of 184Members of Parliament, split almost equally betweenConservatives andLiberals. Other early members included Charles Dodgson (better known asLewis Carroll),C. P. Scott, editor ofThe Manchester Guardian andThomas Hare, inventor of the Single Transferable Vote.[5] The initial aim of the society was to have proportional representation included in the terms of theRepresentation of the People Act 1884 and theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23), but, despite a determined campaign of political lobbying, it was unable to do so.[6]
A PRS pamphlet of the 1920s described the organisation's aims thus:
Alongside its sister organisation,Proportional Representation Society of Ireland, the society succeeded in getting STV introduced in local and then national elections inIreland, and in numerous religious, educational and professional organisations. FollowingWorld War II, the society suffered from financial problems and a lack of public appetite for reform. WhenFianna Fáil put to a referendum a proposal to revert tofirst-past-the-post voting twice (1959 and 1968), the society, under the leadership ofEnid Lakeman, led a successful campaign to keep the STV system in Ireland.[8]
In 1973, the STV was introduced inNorthern Ireland for elections to local councils and to the newNorthern Ireland Assembly, and the society and its staff were called upon to advise in the programme of education set up by thegovernment to raise public awareness.[9]
Interest inproportional representation revived sharply in Britain after theFebruary 1974 general election. From then on, the society was able to secure a higher public profile for its campaigns. In 1983, the society was recognised by theUnited Nations Economic and Social Council as anon-governmental organisation with consultative status.
The society has campaigned successfully for the introduction of STV for local elections inScotland,[10] and led the call for a referendum on the voting system in the wake of theUnited Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal as part of the Vote for a Change campaign.[11] It is a founding member of theVotes at 16 Coalition.
The society was later a principal funder of theYES! To Fairer Votes campaign in the unsuccessful bid for a Yes vote in the2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote.[12] Its chief executive,Katie Ghose, served as the campaign's chair.
In 2012, the Society criticised Government handling of its policy of electedPolice and crime commissioners – which led to thelowest turnout in British peacetime history.
In August 2012, the society predicted turnout could be as low as 18.5% and outlined steps to salvage the elections, mobilising support from both candidates and voters.[13] The Government did not change tack, dubbing the prediction a "silly season story".[14] Following the result (in which the national turnout was a mere 15.1%, even lower than the society's prediction), the Society branded the Government's approach to elections as a "comedy of errors", views that were reiterated by Shadow Home SecretaryYvette Cooper.[15]
The society led bids to change the Government's approach to introduction of Individual Electoral Registration, which theNew Statesman dubbed "the biggest political scandal you've never heard of".[16] Electoral Commission sources estimated as many as 10 million voters could disappear from the electoral roll under government plans, predominantly poor, young or black, and more liable to vote Labour.[17] The society succeeded in securing changes to the legislation.[18]
In a 2014 report, the society recommended several ways to make theEuropean Union more accountable and argued that there was ademocratic deficit. These included: better scrutiny of EU legislation by the British parliament, a voting system which gives voters more influence over individual candidates (e.g.single transferable vote) and recruitment of party candidates with a wider ranges of views on the EU.[19]
In August 2016, the society published a highly critical report on the referendum and called for a review of how future events are run. Contrasting it very unfavourably with the 'well-informed grassroots' campaign forScottish independence, ERS Chief Executive Katie Ghose described it as "dire" with “glaring democratic deficiencies” which left voters bewildered. Katie Ghose noted a generally negative response to establishment figures with 29% of voters sayingDavid Cameron (a Remain supporter) made them more likely to vote leave, whilst only 14% said he made them want to vote remain. Looking ahead, the society called for an official organisation to highlight misleading claims and forOfcom to define the role that broadcasters are expected to play.[20]
In February 2018, the ERS reported that hundreds of seats were being effectively 'reserved' by men, holding back women's representation. Their report states that 170 seats are being held by men first elected in 2005 or before – with few opportunities for women to take those seats or selections.[21][22]
In September 2020, the Electoral Reform Society joined with other pressure groups (includingLabour Campaign for Electoral Reform) and Labour MPs to launchLabour for a New Democracy, a campaign to "build support for UK electoral reform in Labour with the aim of changing party policy by the time its next conference takes place".[23] According to polling, three-quarters of Labour members believe the party should commit to supporting proportional representation and adopt it as a policy.[24] The motion for the September 2021 Labour Party conference[25][26] was defeated despite 80% of CLP delegates voting in favour, due to an overwhelming vote against by the affiliated trade unions, most of which at the time did not have policy on electoral reform.[27] In October 2021, the trade unionUnite changed its policy to back proportional representation.[28]
In June 2022, the trade unionUnison also voted to support proportional representation.[29][30] Other unions that have declared their support for proportional representation include theAssociated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), theMusicians' Union (MU) and theTransport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA).[31] Politicians from all wings of the Labour Party have come out in support of proportional representation, including the former leader ofWelsh Labour and former First Minister of Wales,Mark Drakeford when he was in office.[32][33]
At the Labour Party Conference in September 2022, delegates from CLPs and trade unions voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting proportional representation.[34][35] The motion is not binding on the party leadership but does commit the party to include PR in its election manifesto.[36] Although during his leadership campaign, Labour Party leader,Keir Starmer, said: "I also think on electoral reform, we’ve got to address the fact that millions of people vote in safe seats and they feel their vote doesn’t count. That’s got to be addressed."[37] It has subsequently been reported that he has always opposed proportional representation.[38]
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