Electoral Reform Society
Encyclopedia
The Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom
which promotes electoral reform
. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.
(STV) in general elections. It also has many influences around the world in concern with electoral reformation. The mission of the society is to secure an electoral system in Britain which it believes will:
. The founding members included academics, barrister
s, and an equal number of Conservative
and Liberal MP
s. Famous early members included Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Caroll), C.P. Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian and Thomas Hare, the inventor of STV.
The Society campaigned for the introduction of STV
until 1888. It then became inactive until 1904. It resumed campaigning for STV, succeeding in getting it introduced in local election
s in Ireland
, and in numerous religious, educational and professional organisations.
After World War II
the Society suffered from financial problems and a lack of public interest in electoral reform. It was kept going for many decades by its Director, Enid Lakeman
, an inveterate pamphleteer, public speaker and writer of letters to newspapers about STV. When Fianna Fáil
twice (1959 and 1968) put to a referendum a proposal to abolish STV in Ireland
and revert to first-past-the-post
, Lakeman led a successful ERS campaign to keep STV there. In 1973 STV was introduced in Northern Ireland
for elections to local councils and to the new Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Society and its staff were called upon to advise in the programme of education set up by the government to train returning officer
s in the new techniques and raise public awareness in the Province of the implications of the newly introduced voting method.
Interest in proportional representation revived sharply in Britain in 1974, and from then on the Society was able to secure a higher public profile for its campaign.
In 1983 the Society was recognised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council
as a Non-Governmental Organisation with Consultative Status.
and led the call for a referendum on the voting system in the wake of the expenses crisis as part of the Vote for a Change campaign.
The Society was later a principal funder of the YES! to Fairer Votes
campaign in its unsuccessful bid for a Yes vote in the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote, its Chief Executive Katie Ghose
serving as the campaign's chair.
Katie Ghose
Chair
John Ault
President
Bishop Colin Buchanan
Vice Presidents
Lesley Abdela
,
Lord Avebury,
Sir Hugh Beach,
Bernard Black,
Jean Bradshaw,
Vernon Bogdanor
,
Sir Fred Catherwood,
Sir Adrian Cadbury,
Rt Rev Peter Dawes,
Winifred Ewing,
Baroness Falkender,
Baroness Gould,
David Marquand
,
Sir Oliver Napier,
Jonathon Porritt
,
Margaret Rose,
Lord Rosser,
Michael Steed
,
Jeremy Thorpe
,
Gervase Tinley
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
which promotes electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.
Aims
Since its formation, the Society has promoted the use of the Single Transferable VoteSingle transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
(STV) in general elections. It also has many influences around the world in concern with electoral reformation. The mission of the society is to secure an electoral system in Britain which it believes will:
- Give all votes equal value
- Give effective representation to all significant points of view within the electorate
- Not have the problem of tactical voting and votes wasted
- Ensure the accountability of individual representatives to their electorates
History
The ERS was founded in January 1884 as the Proportional Representation Society by the Victorian naturalist, archaeologist and polymath John LubbockJohn Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury
John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury PC , FRS , known as Sir John Lubbock, 4th Baronet from 1865 until 1900, was a polymath and Liberal Member of Parliament....
. The founding members included academics, barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s, and an equal number of Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and Liberal MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s. Famous early members included Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Caroll), C.P. Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian and Thomas Hare, the inventor of STV.
The Society campaigned for the introduction of STV
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
until 1888. It then became inactive until 1904. It resumed campaigning for STV, succeeding in getting it introduced in local election
Local election
Local elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or Warden to describe the executive of a city, town or region, although the actual means of elections vary...
s in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and in numerous religious, educational and professional organisations.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Society suffered from financial problems and a lack of public interest in electoral reform. It was kept going for many decades by its Director, Enid Lakeman
Enid Lakeman
Enid Lakeman, OBE was a British political reformer, writer and politician, noted for her long-standing championship of the Single Transferable Vote system of elections....
, an inveterate pamphleteer, public speaker and writer of letters to newspapers about STV. When Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
twice (1959 and 1968) put to a referendum a proposal to abolish STV in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and revert to first-past-the-post
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
, Lakeman led a successful ERS campaign to keep STV there. In 1973 STV was introduced in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
for elections to local councils and to the new Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Society and its staff were called upon to advise in the programme of education set up by the government to train returning officer
Returning Officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.-Australia:In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a State Electoral Commission who heads the local divisional office...
s in the new techniques and raise public awareness in the Province of the implications of the newly introduced voting method.
Interest in proportional representation revived sharply in Britain in 1974, and from then on the Society was able to secure a higher public profile for its campaign.
In 1983 the Society was recognised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
as a Non-Governmental Organisation with Consultative Status.
Recent activities
The Society has campaigned successfully for the introduction of STV for local elections in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and led the call for a referendum on the voting system in the wake of the expenses crisis as part of the Vote for a Change campaign.
The Society was later a principal funder of the YES! to Fairer Votes
YES! To Fairer Votes
YES! To Fairer Votes was the political campaign in the United Kingdom, whose purpose was to persuade the public to vote in favour of the Alternative Vote in the referendum on Thursday, 5 May 2011.-Structure:...
campaign in its unsuccessful bid for a Yes vote in the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote, its Chief Executive Katie Ghose
Katie Ghose
Katie Ghose is a British lawyer and the current Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, and former chair of the YES! to Fairer Votes campaign in the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote....
serving as the campaign's chair.
People
Chief ExecutiveKatie Ghose
Katie Ghose
Katie Ghose is a British lawyer and the current Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, and former chair of the YES! to Fairer Votes campaign in the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote....
Chair
John Ault
President
Bishop Colin Buchanan
Vice Presidents
Lesley Abdela
Lesley Abdela
Lesley Julia Abdela MBE at the London Gazette. "For services to the advancement of Women in Politics and Local Government." Hon D.Litt)...
,
Lord Avebury,
Sir Hugh Beach,
Bernard Black,
Jean Bradshaw,
Vernon Bogdanor
Vernon Bogdanor
Vernon Bogdanor, CBE, FBA is Research Professor at the Institute for Contemporary History at King's College London, and a Fellow of Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He is one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts and has written extensively on political and constitutional issues...
,
Sir Fred Catherwood,
Sir Adrian Cadbury,
Rt Rev Peter Dawes,
Winifred Ewing,
Baroness Falkender,
Baroness Gould,
David Marquand
David Marquand
David Ian Marquand FBA, FRHistS, FRSA is a British academic and former Labour Party Member of Parliament .Born in Cardiff, Marquand was educated at Emanuel School, Magdalen College, Oxford, St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and at the University of California, Berkeley...
,
Sir Oliver Napier,
Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE, is an English environmentalist and writer. Porritt appears frequently in the media, writing in magazines, newspapers and books, and appearing on radio and television regularly.-Early life and family background:...
,
Margaret Rose,
Lord Rosser,
Michael Steed
Michael Steed
Michael Steed is a British psephologist, political scientist, broadcaster, activist and Liberal Democrat politician. He was born in 1940 in Kent, where his father was a farmer. He has written extensively on parties and elections....
,
Jeremy Thorpe
Jeremy Thorpe
John Jeremy Thorpe is a British former politician who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976 and was the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979. His political career was damaged when an acquaintance, Norman Scott, claimed to have had a love affair with Thorpe at a time...
,
Gervase Tinley
Related organisations
The Society has three closely related organisations:- Electoral Reform Services Limited (ERS, formerly Electoral Reform Ballot Services): A company established in 1988 to provide an independent balloting and polling service to organisations conducting elections and polls. The service is widely used by trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, political partiesPolitical PartiesPolitical Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
, building societies and companies when balloting their members or shareholders in ways defined by the law and their internal management. In many cases these organisations are forbidden from conducting their ballots internally in an attempt to ensure that the ballots are conducted impartially.
- Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS): A company established in 1991 to provide assistance in conducting elections worldwide. Activities include advice, training and election monitoring.
- The McDougall Trust: A registered charity which promotes the understanding of electoral issues.
See also
- Take Back ParliamentTake Back ParliamentTake Back Parliament is an organisation campaigning for democratic reform in the United Kingdom.The group has a strong network of autonomous local branches but no paying membership...
- Suffragettes
- Chartists
- History of suffrage in the UK