Elections and electoral systems
What would voters be asked in a second EU referendum – and would they get it?
If – and it’s a big if – the government were to call a second EU referendum, what question would it ask? And would it be able to deliver the answer? In this extract from a new UCL European Institute working paper, Alan Renwick examines the likelihood, terms and outcome of any ‘second round’ vote. […]
Good news: fielding women candidates doesn’t put parties at a disadvantage in elections
We know women are more likely to be elected under proportional representation, but it hasn’t been clear which aspects of PR benefit them. Sona N. Golder, Laura B. Stephenson, Karine van der Straeten, André Blais, Damien Bol, Philipp Harfst and Jean-François Laslier designed an experiment in which people could cast (fake) votes for (real) European […]
We need to make it easier for people to vote, not harder – and registering is still a big problem
Despite the voter ID pilot next year, most people believe voter fraud isn’t a problem in the UK. But a significant minority want changes to the election system – notably more financial transparency and information about their candidates. And while relatively few want online voting, registering to vote, even though it can now be done online, […]
Does political corruption put people off voting? (Not if it’s really bad)
If you think the politicians in your country are corrupt, are you less likely to turn out to vote? Some studies suggest you are. Others find the opposite – perhaps because corrupt politicians will say anything to get re-elected, and their promises motivate voters. Stefan Dahlberg and Maria Solevid found that perceived corruption does indeed […]
We’re taking back control – but who’s going to wield it?
Britain voted to ‘take back control’ from the EU, and Theresa May’s Lancaster House speech made the repatriation of power to Westminster a priority. But it is far from clear what kind of Brexit Britons want, nor how many of these powers will go to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland rather than the UK Parliament. Katie Ghose […]
It’s even worse than North Carolina: American elections rank last among all Western democracies
In recent weeks, the claim that North Carolina could no longer be classified as a democracy has sparked significant debate. Pippa Norris, director of the Electoral Integrity Project, explains how perceptions of electoral integrity in 50 US states and worldwide were assessed by political scientists. She also presents independent evidence from V-Dem which confirms EIP’s claim that, […]
If your parents didn’t vote, chances are you won’t either – unless you move up the social ladder
You are less likely to vote if your parents didn’t go to the polls. But new research by Hannu Lahtinen, Heikki Hiilamo and Hanna Wass suggest this effect is at least partly overcome if you move up the social ladder yourself. The more social mobility a society can achieve, the smaller the gaps in turnout between […]
Pick of 2016: the best of Democratic Audit
2016 was an extraordinary year. With Donald Trump’s presidency less than three weeks away, Article 50 due to be invoked in March, local and mayoral elections in the UK and ground-shifting votes in Europe, 2017 promises more seismic change. Here’s a selection of some of Democratic Audit’s most thought-provoking pieces from 2016. Similar Posts
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 […]
How ‘the story’ subsumed ‘The Vote’: we have no meaningful direction about the terms of Brexit
What did the 52% who voted to leave the EU want? In the first part of a lecture delivered at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, David Kershaw argues that pro-Brexit politicians and media have presumed to interpret the vote as a mandate to ensure Brexit results in the controls on free movement which are likely to […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.