Elections and electoral systems
The case of the missing marginals: how big will May’s majority be?
A little-reported result of the 2015 general election was a substantial reduction in the number of marginal seats, and a consequent increase in the number of very safe ones for both the Conservatives and Labour. Ron Johnston, Charles Pattie and David Rossiter explore the implications of those changes for the forthcoming election. Will May get […]
This snap election will weaken Parliament just when it needs to scrutinise Brexit
In the event, the Fixed Term Parliaments Act proved no impediment to Theresa May when she decided to call a snap election. Jeff King argues that Labour and the Lib Dems should not have accepted a ploy that is constitutionally problematic. May’s reasons for calling the vote are flimsy, and Parliament will be weakened as […]
Snap election a win-win for Theresa May: she’ll crush Labour and make Brexit a little easier
How could Theresa May resist breaking her word? Tim Bale says a new cohort of Conservative MPs will boost her majority and enable her to return from Brussels with a softer Brexit. The Labour party, meanwhile, will be annihilated, and the Lib Dems can hope for at most 15% of the vote. Centrists may take […]
If you believe Brexit is a mistake, you have a democratic duty to oppose it
Is there a duty to implement the EU referendum result? Not if you believe it to be a profound mistake, argues Albert Weale. We cannot sensibly and intelligibly use the language of ‘the will of the people’ in respect of the referendum result. It is not simply a device for the registering of the preferences of […]
Gender equality in Parliament: how random selection could get us there
Would choosing the second chamber by sortition be an effective way to achieve a 50:50 balance between men and women? John Dryzek argues that the upper chamber – in Australia as in the UK, a deliberative forum – would be a good place to start, and looks at ways to ensure women sitting in deliberative […]
Now they’re on a roll: how to get the missing millions onto the electoral register
Individual electoral registration has not been kind to students. Previously, they were automatically enrolled by their universities; now they are not, and many have fallen off the electoral roll as a result. But an amendment passed in the Lords last night would let them register at the same time as they enrolled at university. Toby […]
What if postal votes were a great way to boost political engagement?
Eric Pickles’ recent report on electoral fraud raised concerns that postal votes represent an opportunity for voter fraud. But Justin Reedy suggests that filling out a postal ballot gives people more opportunity to discuss their choice with friends, family and neighbours – and potentially make better-informed choices as a result. Photo: Ian Britton via a CC-BY-NC 2.0 […]
Why do the French hate their politicians so much?
The French distrust their politicians and democratic institutions – more so than other Western Europeans. Why? Emiliano Grossman and Nicolas Sauger, authors of Pourquoi détestons-nous nos politiques?, argue that the French presidential system raises unreasonable hopes and expectations that quickly lead to disillusionment among voters. A woman wears a Génération Changement raincoat featuring François Hollande […]
Risk-takers and referendums: what happens when voters are better-informed?
Voting for change in a referendum is the riskier option. People who voted for Brexit were more likely to be risk-takers. But when people have more information at their disposal, are they more or less likely to stick with the status quo? Davide Morisi found that when voters were making up their minds about how to vote […]
The rich get elected – but it’s not because voters necessarily prefer them
We elect politicians who are far better-off than ourselves – in Europe, those who come from blue-collar backgrounds make up only a tenth of national parliaments. Is this because voters favour the rich? A new study by Nicholas Carnes and Noam Lupu suggests they are slightly more likely to opt for working-class candidates over business owners. Blue-collar candidates just don’t get onto […]
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