News Archive
2 January 2012
Elected Lords plan risks deadlock, government warned »
Plans to reform the House of Lords risk creating deadlock and making Britain more difficult to govern, a constitutional expert has warned...(BBC News)
2 January 2012
Bannockburn date mooted for referendum »
Speculation is mounting that the referendum on Scottish independence will be held on the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn...(The Herald, Scotland)
2 January 2012
Voter fraud, disenfranchised voters, and voter ID laws »
Should you be required to show picture ID before you're allowed to vote? (The Washington Times)
30 December 2011
Status: Apathetic »
Twice as many 18-year-olds are signed up to Facebook as are registered to vote in the real world...
30 December 2011
World survey of internet voting »
The US Election Assistance Commission has recently published a document detailing worldwide case studies in internet voting from January 2000 to November 2011...(the election review)
29 December 2011
Voters to have power to remove MPs for serious wrongdoing »
Recall of MPs - draft Bill...
28 December 2011
Ministers 'will defy meddling Europe over votes for prisoners' »
Ministers are preparing to defy Europe over its insistence that Britain gives prisoners the right to vote...(Daily Mail)
23 December 2011
Special clause to give Holyrood right to run referendum »
Westminster could hand Holyrood the legal power to run a Scottish independence referendum...(BBC News)
20 December 2011
Shambles at Salford Elected Mayor debate »
The campaign for an elected mayor for Salford took one step forward, but another step back last Thursday night...(Salford Online)
20 December 2011
Nick Clegg promises to prioritise Lords reform »
Nick Clegg has reasserted the urgent need to reform the House of Lords and open up our political system...(Unlock Democracy)
20 December 2011
Nick Clegg claims PM's backing for bill to create elected Lords »
Deputy prime minister vows there will be proposals for a full or partly elected second chamber in the next Queen's speech...(Guardian)
20 December 2011
Now Clegg demands an 80% elected Lords »
The Deputy PM describes the House as an 'affront' to liberal democracy...(Daily Mail)
19 December 2011
Election fraud charges on the Isle of Man »
Not guilty pleas were entered on election fraud offences by seven defendants last Thursday...(iomtoday.co.im)
16 December 2011
Call for evidence: Recall of MPs »
The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee is examining the Government's proposals for the recall of MPs...
16 December 2011
Electoral registration: the group that gets overlooked »
People who live in private rented accommodation rarely catch the attention of politicians or political journalists...(LibDemVoice)
16 December 2011
Lords Reform Committee takes evidence »
The Joint Committee will hear about possible electoral systems for a newly reformed House of Lords...
15 December 2011
Alarm raised over Britain's 8.5m missing voters »
The number of people not registered to vote has more than doubled in the last ten years, research has revealed...(politics.co.uk)
15 December 2011
Millions aren't registered to vote. Will the government's bill help matters? »
New registration systems must be introduced with care if the electoral registers are to accurately represent the nation's voters...(Guardian)
15 December 2011
Competition to find football's worst toilets hit by vote-rigging claim »
Will the fraudulent voters be flushed out...? (Guardian)
14 December 2011
Six million eligible voters not on electoral roll »
Up to six million eligible voters are not on the electoral register and unable to exercise their right to vote, the elections watchdog has said...(BBC News)
14 December 2011
New report shows at least 6m people not registered to vote »
News Release from the Electoral Commission...
14 December 2011
How can a general election happen? »
A Prime Minister can no longer simply call an early general election because they want to...(LibDemVoice)
14 December 2011
Six million eligible voters not registered, says Electoral Commission »
Research puts missing electors at more than 2.5m over previous estimate and raises questions over reshaped boundaries...(Guardian)
14 December 2011
In praise of … abolishing the edited electoral register »
A travesty of the democratic process that sullies the relationship between voter and state...(Guardian)
14 December 2011
Coalition plans to oust misbehaving MPs are toothless, says pressure group »
Taxpayers' Alliance and Labour criticise proposals for failing to give constituents power to trigger recall petition...(Guardian)
14 December 2011
Public to decide whether to 'recall MPs' by petition »
MPs guilty of serious wrongdoing could be forced to stand down and face a by-election if enough constituents want them "recalled" under new proposals...(BBC News)
14 December 2011
Corrupt MPs could lose seats »
MPs guilty of serious wrong-doing could lose their seats if 10 per cent of voters in their constituencies sign a petition to “recall” them under new proposals...(Telegraph)
14 December 2011
Jordan wants to 'run for crime commissioner' »
Katie Price says 'make me a Police Commissioner', sparking fears that celebrities could be voted into public office...(Daily Mail)
13 December 2011
Government proposals on recall will entrench cynicism »
News Release from Unlock Democracy...
9 December 2011
Voter rights are under threat, and the devil is in the detail »
The Lib Dems as well as Labour stand to suffer from changes in electoral registration. It must not become a lifestyle choice...(Guardian)
9 December 2011
Ex-boundary chief Paul Wood's obsessive requests - claim »
The man formerly responsible for changes to local council boundaries has been accused by the Welsh government of making "obsessive" and "vexatious" requests for information...(BBC News)
8 December 2011
'Expenses scandal' election leaflet ruled defamatory »
Nigel Waterson calls on Stephen Lloyd, who won Eastbourne seat, to consider his position after High Court judgment...(Guardian)
7 December 2011
IER offers opportunity to take into account disabled people’s access needs »
Cristina Sarb of the disabled people’s charity Scope reflects on the prospects individual registration has to make the current voting system more accessible for disabled people...(LSE)
7 December 2011
Greg Clark: Date set for elected city mayors »
England's largest cities moved closer to deciding on directly elected mayors today after Cities Minister Greg Clark set the date for local referendums...(Communities and Local Government)
6 December 2011
Expat loses fight for right to vote in UK »
An expat who claimed a ban on Britons voting in elections once they had lived abroad for 15 years violated his rights has had his argument thrown out by top judges...(this is Leicestershire)
6 December 2011
11 cities to hold mayor referendums »
The Government has announced plans for 11 cities to be able to hold referendums next May on whether to have directly elected mayors...(The Press Association)
30 November 2011
Individual Electoral Registration and Electoral Administration »
AEA's response to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee's Tenth Report on Individual Electoral Registration and Electoral Administration...
29 November 2011
Electoral Commission News Release »
The Electoral Commission has today published details of spending by campaigners that spent over £250,000 in the referendum on the UK parliamentary voting system, held on 5 May 2011...
28 November 2011
Egypt election: Long queues in first post-Mubarak vote »
Large numbers of Egyptians have turned out to vote in the first elections since former President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February...(BBC News)
24 November 2011
Scottish devolution: what questions will future referendum ask voters? »
Severin Carrell finds political resistance, but public support for the 'devolution plus' option in Scotland's referendum...(Guardian)
24 November 2011
Vote for a Salford mayor moves a step closer »
A vote to choose an elected mayor in Salford will take place in May – if the public give it the go-ahead...(Manchester Evening News)
23 November 2011
Assembly voting reform would give Labour ‘super-majority’, report warns »
Labour will have a "super-majority" in the National Assembly if the first-past-the-post voting system is used to select AMs, the Electoral Reform Society warns...(WalesOnline)
23 November 2011
Carwyn Jones writes to David Cameron over vote change »
First Minister Carwyn Jones has written to the prime minister to seek assurances the assembly's electoral system will not be changed without the agreement of the Welsh people...(BBC News)
23 November 2011
Minister 'minded' to postpone elections on Anglesey »
The local government minister has said he is minded to postpone local elections on Anglesey by a year...(BBC News)
22 November 2011
'Unlock Democracy' News Release »
Scrapping elected police commissioners would be a small price to pay to clean up politics...
21 November 2011
New AEA Membership flyer »
Something to demonstrate the benefits of Membership of the AEA...
21 November 2011
Who Chose the Sheriff? »
Finding quality candidates for the police and crime commissioner elections...(Institute for Government)
21 November 2011
Joint Committee on draft House of Lords Reform Bill takes evidence from Unlock Democracy »
The Joint Committee on the draft House of Lords Reform Bill hears more evidence about how a reformed House of Lords might be constituted...
21 November 2011
New Electoral Commissioner for Northern Ireland »
Anna Carragher, former Controller of BBC Northern Ireland, will join the Electoral Commission...
18 November 2011
Sacked boundary commissioner Paul Wood speaks out »
The former head of Wales' boundary commission, sacked after a report said it was not fit for purpose, says the public interest has suffered...(BBC News)
18 November 2011
Scots referendum clarity move 'not ruled out' »
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore has declined to explicitly rule out any UK involvement in the forthcoming independence referendum...(BBC News)
17 November 2011
Deputy Prime Minister and Welsh MP battle over voter registration »
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was today accused of being part of a “voter suppression” effort by Labour MP Kevin Brennan...(WalesOnline)
17 November 2011
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 »
Local Government briefing note 73/2011...
16 November 2011
Localism Bill granted Royal Assent »
The Government's flagship Localism Bill was granted Royal Assent yesterday...
16 November 2011
A plain English guide to the Localism Act - Update »
Good practice and guidance from the Department of Communities and Local Government...
15 November 2011
Archbishops question case for elected House of Lords »
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York question the rationale for a wholly or mainly elected House of Lords in their submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee...(Anglican Communion News)
15 November 2011
Government should fund primary elections »
The Institute for Government sets out a package of proposals to reform candidate selection to increase the diversity of MPs and enhance public participation...
15 November 2011
Scotland's community council network 'dying' »
Scotland's network of community councils could be "dead" within 10 years, the president of the charity that represents the bodies has warned...(BBC News)
15 November 2011
Scottish voting system is unfair, says watchdog »
The Electoral Reform Society says current system has led to a two-party system and failed to improve democracy in Scotland...
15 November 2011
Police Commissioner elections yet to register with many »
A year before elections for police commissioners in England and Wales, three-quarters of people know nothing about them, a poll suggests...(BBC News)
14 November 2011
Welsh Labour vows to fight assembly electoral changes »
Welsh Labour will oppose any changes to the way assembly members are elected, if proposed by the UK government...(BBC News)
14 November 2011
Conservatives want UUP to disband and form new Tory-led party »
The Conservative Party chairman has written to the Ulster Unionist party suggesting they disband and a new Conservative-led party is formed...(BBC News)
14 November 2011
Osborne: Scotland independence referendum causing harm »
Chancellor George Osborne has claimed that the prospect of an independence referendum is damaging the Scottish economy...(BBC News)
11 November 2011
What electoral system would suit a newly reformed House of Lords? »
From the UK Parliament website...
10 November 2011
Voter records review finds 641 dead people eligible to vote »
A review of election records has found 641 dead people remain on voter registration rolls, a top official in the secretary of state's office has said...(Santa Fe, New Mexico)
9 November 2011
Salford set for elected mayor vote »
Salford Council has confirmed that a vote will be held in January 2012 on whether the city should have an elected mayor...(SalfordOnline)
9 November 2011
The Localism Bill - power to the people? »
The government says its Localism Bill will allow communities to shape development in their area - but what if they choose a shape that ministers don't like...? (BBC News)
9 November 2011
We need to talk about the referendum »
Any vote on whether Scotland should remain in the Union would have to include the whole of the UK. What if the English voted No and the Scots Yes...? (Guardian)
8 November 2011
Over 1,000 postal votes rejected at election »
A total of 7.1 per cent of postal votes were rejected from this year's local election because the returned signature and/or date of birth did not match the signature and/or date of birth held by the council...(Rochdale online)
8 November 2011
Westminster launches consultation on new parishes »
Westminster City Council has launched a community governance review to look at the potential for establishing new parish councils and other additional forms of elected representation in the borough...
7 November 2011
New individual voter system has real risks, MPs say »
Changes to the way people register to vote could "damage democracy" by resulting in large numbers dropping off the electoral roll, MPs have warned...(BBC News)
7 November 2011
Voter registration reforms could see 10m fall off electoral roll, MPs warn »
Cross-party committee says democratic institutions could be put at risk by proposals to relax rules...(Guardian)
7 November 2011
Labour AMs consider split with Hain on voting change »
Labour Assembly Members are poised to reject a suggestion from shadow Welsh secretary Peter Hain to change the way AMs are elected...(BBC News)
7 November 2011
£100m cost of funding political parties could be £3 for every vote cast »
A £100million revolution in funding political parties could see every vote cast costing taxpayers £3...(Daily Mail)