Tag: Alistair Clark

Electoral officials need more money to run elections during Covid-19

Electoral officials need more money to run elections during Covid-19

Erik Asplund, Toby James and Alistair Clark audit the additional costs countries are facing to run safe and accessible elections during the Covid-19 pandemic. They argue it is vital that election management is sufficiently well funded during this crisis to maintain voter participation and trust in electoral outcomes.

It was right to delay England’s local elections, but we must consider the wider impact of Covid-19 on electoral administration

It was right to delay England’s local elections, but we must consider the wider impact of Covid-19 on electoral administration

Local and mayoral elections across England have been delayed from May 2020 to May 2021. Postponing them was necessary, writes Alistair Clark, but we must also look at the longer-term impact of Covid-19 on administering elections in the UK and globally to maintain democratic accountability under difficult circumstances.

The many roles of manifestos at the subnational level in British general elections

The many roles of manifestos at the subnational level in British general elections

Alistair Clark and Lynn Bennie assess the roles of national party manifestos across Britain, Scotland and Wales in UK-wide general elections, and illustrate the multiple functions these documents perform in complex multilevel systems of government.

The Electoral Commission was not at fault when it investigated Tory election expenses

The Electoral Commission was not at fault when it investigated Tory election expenses

No charges will be made against Conservative candidates who allegedly broke electoral law during the 2015 campaign. The first reaction of some of those involved was to feel vindicated, their second was to attack the regulators. Alistair Clark explains the importance of electoral law, and argues that since trust in politics is already weak, politicians should be […]

So much for #pencilgate: the referendum wasn’t rigged – but Britain’s electoral machinery needs fine-tuning

So much for #pencilgate: the referendum wasn’t rigged – but Britain’s electoral machinery needs fine-tuning

Despite widespread fears to the contrary, the EU referendum passed off without major problems. But the vote revealed underlying problems with Britain’s electoral system – most notably the difficulty of registering to vote. Toby S James and Alistair Clark, authors of a new report by the Electoral Commission on the quality of electoral administration at […]

Why Labour under Jeremy Corbyn is stuck on repeat after this poor election showing

Why Labour under Jeremy Corbyn is stuck on repeat after this poor election showing

The 2016 elections in England showed that Labour are not, according to Jeremy Corbyn’s critics, making the progress that they ought to be at this stage in the electoral cycle as an opposition party. Here, Alistair Clark explains why the Labour leader is stuck on repeat.  Similar Posts‘Super Thursday’ showed us that British politics has […]

Scottish Parliament election preview: From four party politics to further consolidation in the South of Scotland?

Scottish Parliament election preview: From four party politics to further consolidation in the South of Scotland?

The Scottish Parliament elections are upon us, with the SNP expected to consolidate their current dominance over Labour and the Conservatives. Here, Alistair Clark looks at the contest in the South Scotland region, an area which has had a recent history of four party politics but may be seeing its political profile shift. Similar PostsEuropean […]

The polling and registration process needs to be made simpler, more convenient and better resourced

The polling and registration process needs to be made simpler, more convenient and better resourced

The UK suffers from low electoral turnout, with young people in particular increasingly unlikely to turn out to vote in elections. At the same time, critics of our current electoral infrastructure highlight the risk of fraud. Here, Toby S. James, and Alistair Clark show that our polling and registration processes should be made simpler and […]

Higher spending on electoral administration generally increases levels of integrity

Higher spending on electoral administration generally increases levels of integrity

Running elections is expensive, with various commitments such as protecting against fraud, the handling of deposits, and coordinating with larger authorities all consuming funds. But is it money well spent? Alistair Clark shares findings which show that greater levels of overall spending on elections tends to increase levels of electoral integrity.  Similar PostsElectoral officials need […]