Make Votes Matter

Compulsory voting alone won’t fix the UK's broken politics Simply insisting people vote in elections run by a system they rightly distrust will not improve British politics

"Any reform of the voting system has to include Proportional Representation so that, to borrow the name of an excellent campaign, we make votes matter."

Thanks for the shout out, @anthonybarnett.bsky.social ☺️

We agree: we won't address mistrust in politics without fixing the system that breeds it.

Thank you!

PR is no longer unthinkable Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, but if and when Labour members pick the next PM, electoral reform could become unavoidable

1.

I'm stunned to find myself writing this, but I can suddenly see a route to PR

It's partly the rise of Reform, of course, but partly about the Labour rule-book

NEW COL explains www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/707...

YouTube video by Make Votes Matter Is Britain´s democracy broken? Event with Sir John Curtice

Is Britain's democracy broken?

Event with Sir John Curtice.

via @makevotesmatter.bsky.social

#makevotesmatter
youtu.be/2JV6xO-vZ44?...

In the past, the British public were reluctant to change the voting system.

This has shifted dramatically.

Now 60% of people want change, including supporters of all major parties. It's time for PR.

Watch our event with Sir John Curtice & @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social:
youtu.be/2JV6xO-vZ44

We hope he's right. Latest polling shows that 60% of the British public want to change the voting system.

But this won't happen without a grassroots movement organising to demand it.

Join us to be part of it: makevotesmatter.org.uk/join-the-mov...

Readers say ‘voting reform needed’ as Corbyn launches new party Our community say Corbyn’s new party highlights growing frustration with Labour but warns it risks splitting the left and strengthening the right unless the UK’s voting system is reformed

“Until the electoral system is changed to Proportional Representation (PR), the dog’s breakfast that is British politics will continue."

Our Blighty newsletter on electoral reform prompted readers to respond The current first-past-the-post system needs changing, they said

"Proportional Representation consistently delivers the kind of long-term economic thinking that First Past the Post discourages.

Countries with PR systems tend to invest more heavily in housing, education and infrastructure, precisely the areas where Britain has fallen behind."

🚨PR IN THE MEDIA 🚨

Public support for electoral reform keeps growing.

Following the announcement of a new party, readers of both the Economist and the Independent have written in to point out the flaws in our voting system.

Here's what they have to say 👇

People also need to feel like their votes count.

Studies show that countries with Proportional Representation have higher turnout and higher trust in politics.

The UK needs to learn the lesson.

The more parties are competing under First Past the Post, the lower the proportion of votes needed to win total power.

The next general election results will likely be so distorted, we might as well pick the winner out of a hat.

There is a solution: Proportional Representation.

Is Britain's democracy broken? With Professor Sir John Curtice. 29 July, 6.30-7.30 pm

Next week, we're excited to invite you to a webinar with Professor John Curtice!

Join us to discuss what the data tells us about Britain's political system and its possible futures.

Event organised with @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social.

Sign up: secure.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/174289/...

‪The Commons is now in summer recess until September 1st.

Of the 271 divisions held so far this session, 128 would have changed result if seats matched votes. That is, ~47% of the time, opposition MPs represented more voters, but the government won anyway.

@makevotesmatter.bsky.social

100% this.

Andy Burnham: These Dangerous, Alienating Times Call for Radical Change of Our Politics From imposter syndrome and proportional representation, to fixing the fundamentals and the 'incestuous' Westminster media-political class – Labour’s Greater Manchester Mayor believes the right can be ...

"First Past the Post has encouraged a focus on ‘Mondeo man’ – the idea that there’s a small number of constituencies needed to be won. That’s a reductive mentality. Politics has to be about everyone, everywhere."

Well put, @andyburnham.bsky.social.💯

No constituency or voter should be left behind.

Even the Tories now admit that our electoral system is toxic. When will Labour have the guts to fix it? | Polly Toynbee Giving 16-year-olds the vote is good, not least to stop the rightward lurch, but real change would mean scrapping first past the post, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

#getPRdone

“Though lowering the voting age was a manifesto promise, real electoral reform was nowhere in the manifesto. Real reform would mean abolishing the broken, discredited, untrusted and unsafe first-past-the-post system.”

@pollytoynbee.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

💬 "This is not democracy. It's not what the Chartists and Suffragettes fought for."

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told us why he's calling for a fairer voting system.

We've had enough of governments supported by a minority of the public. It's time for real democracy.

The government says it wants to "rebuild trust in our democracy".

This needs to start with giving everyone an equal vote.

Thank you to @tomgordonld.bsky.social, Sarah Olney, Chris Law, @alexsobel.co.uk @drscottarthurmp.bsky.social and @shockatadam.bsky.social for raising this in Parliament.

Under First Past the Post, more people being able to vote means more people whose votes are ignored.

For elections to really feel empowering, we need Proportional Representation.

Keir Starmer to young people:

A fairer voting system would mean:

- Better, more cooperative decision-making.
- Higher turnout and trust in politics.
- MPs and governments that actually represent the people.

We're calling on the government to include replacing FPTP in the upcoming Elections Bill.

The last election saw Labour win a landslide on just 1/3 of the vote.

Next time, the proportion of votes needed to win could be a lot smaller.

This isn't democratic, and the public can see that.

60% of people now support changing the voting system. Keir Starmer must listen.

Today the government announced its strategy to reform elections.

It's right to identify lack of trust in politics and our institutions as an urgent problem.

But this won't be fixed without addressing our democracy's weakest link: the First Past the Post voting system.

⚠️ "Mayors serve many millions of people and manage multi-million pound budgets, yet can be elected by just a fraction of the vote"

💯 Angela Rayner is right that politicians should not be elected to important offices by First Past the Post

⚖ The same is true of MPs

❓If the government admits that First Past the Post is unsuitable for mayoral elections, why does it intend to keep it in place for general elections?

Thank you, Sarah Olney MP, for raising this issue in Parliament.

Whatever the election, FPTP is not fit for purpose. It must be replaced.

A very good reformulation of the main argument.

Don’t Hate the Politicians, Hate the Game - Make Votes Matter Our brilliant volunteer, Paul Tait, has taken a bold and original approach to explaining British politics — not through lectures or jargon, but through a

Are politicians stupid, selfish, corrupt and all the same? Or are they just following the rules of a bad game?

In a thought-provoking blog, MVM volunteer Paul Tait asks us to imagine the UK political system as a casino game. 👇

👏👏👏

💯 "We can't have MPs elected anymore on a minority of the votes in a particular constituency. And we definitely cannot have governments elected on a minority of the votes across the country."

📢 @andyburnham.bsky.social speaking this weekend

🌹 #Labour4PR

'First past the post is corroding trust in politics. The government must make all elections fit for the future' - LabourList Labour is right that FPTP is corroding trust in politics and is right to address this in mayoral and PCC elections. When the Government sets out its proposals for political reform, it must do the righ...

"Last year, 85% of all MPs were elected with less than half the vote.

With politics more fragmented and volatile than ever, experts are warning it is only going to deteriorate further, with chaotic consequences."

Good article by @labour4pr.bsky.social 👇