Tag: Elections
Party canvassers don’t change people’s opinions, but they do persuade them to vote
Party volunteers up and down the country (and especially in marginal seats) are pounding the streets campaigning on their party’s behalf. But what sort of effect, if any, do they really have? Charles Pattie, Ron Johnston and Todd Hartman show that while doorstep campaigning is unlikely to change people’s political opinions, it is particularly effective […]
Voter ID is a risky reform when 8m people are already missing from the electoral register
In a 2018 pilot, voters in a few areas will have to show some sort of identification at the polls – a major change to voting arrangements. Yet voter fraud is not widespread in the UK. Toby S James welcomes the fact the plans will be extensively piloted, but warns they will lead to more voters being turned away […]
Free and fair? 2016’s elections so far, ranked by integrity
Which countries hold the fairest elections? The Perceptions of Electoral Integrity dataset analysed every election held so far in 2016 and ranked countries in order of electoral integrity. Ferran Martinez i Coma introduces the findings and identifies some important trends – notably a move away from ballot-stuffing and towards abuses of campaign finance and media […]
The people have spoken. Or have they? Doing referendums differently after the EU vote
Referendums have become a central feature of our politics, writes Will Brett. In this extract from the Electoral Reform Society‘s report on the lessons learned from the Brexit vote, he sets out the shortcomings of the EU referendum and proposes how to improve the quality of debate next time – including intervention when campaigners make misleading […]
Brexit and Scottish independence: Does campaign information actually change voters’ minds during a referendum?
Both sides of the UK’s referendum campaign have invested huge resources in trying to convince the electorate to back their viewpoint, but how effective are these efforts in actually changing the minds of voters? Drawing on research in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, Davide Morisi illustrates how information can have an impact on the […]
MPs in safe seats are more likely to become ministers
In the UK, the legislature and government are fused, with MPs making up the vast majority of ministerial positions (and members of the House of Lords the rest). Here, Resul Umit examines the relationship between the size of that MP’s majority, and likelihood that they will hold ministerial office, finding a strong correlation. Similar Posts20 […]
Predicting the 2020 election? We are not even sure if the results of 2015 are going to change.
Last Thursday, the UK went to the polls. While different parts of the country voted in different elections for posts of varying significance, political observers could draw conclusions from a wide and varied set of results. Here, Alun Wyburn-Powell gives his take on proceedings, and on the news that the Conservatives may be forced to […]
Scottish Parliament election preview: Continuity and change in the Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands region of Scotland covers an enormous land-mass, much of it extremely sparsely populated and remote. Traditionally, it has been a site of strength for the Liberal Democrats, however that dynamic (other than in the Northern Isles) seems to be changing. Here, Juliet Swann looks at the history of Scottish Parliament elections […]
Scottish Parliament election preview: Continued SNP dominance in the North East, but who will pick up the scraps?
The North East of Scotland contains Scotland’s third and fourth largest cities in Aberdeen and Dundee, with these cities representing ‘No’ and ‘Yes’ strongholds during 2014’s independence referendum. In the 2011 election, the SNP swept the board in this region, even managing to win a list MSP – something which the voting system in use […]
Scotland will continue to be a psephologist’s delight for the foreseeable future
The Scottish Parliament election is next month, with the SNP looking set to increase their majority in the Holyrood Parliament, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats looking likely to suffer further losses following 2014’s independence referendum. Here, Sean Swan looks over the forthcoming contest, reflecting that Scotland will continue to delight psephologists owing to its […]
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