The UK Government’s new Representation of the People Bill is set to transform the way the UK votes. Toby S. James draws attention to a move towards automatic voter registration and puts forward recommendations for how those proposals could be improved and strengthen democracy. Major Bills to change how elections are important moments in the evolution of…Read more How the Representation of the People Bill can be amended to strengthen democracy
Voting in supermarkets, bank cards as ID and £500,000 fines for breaking the rules – how British elections could be about to change
Originally published on The Conversation Elections need periodic reform to ensure that they have integrity and fulfil their role in line with the times, and the British government has unveiled its proposals for doing just that. Britain was widely regarded as one of the pioneers of such democratic electoral reforms. In the late 19th and…Read more Voting in supermarkets, bank cards as ID and £500,000 fines for breaking the rules – how British elections could be about to change
How to reform elections democratically
How do we reform elections, democratically?There is a lot of research on the pro and cons of specific electoral laws - but much less on the *process* of undertaking electoral reform. Who should be involved in electoral reform, when should reforms take place, and what practices help build trust among stakeholders and the public?To address…Read more How to reform elections democratically
The State of Political Leadership in Britain
By which benchmarks should we assess political leaders? How are Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage performing, and why?Watch our expert book launch from this week, including: Charles Clarke, Tim Bale, Patrick Diamond and Emmanuel Avril.It provides an overview of the conceptual and political landscape - useful for scholars, students, the media and the…Read more The State of Political Leadership in Britain
Overseas voting in Canada
The Canadian House of Commons is examining how overseas voting works in Canadian elections. At present, special ballots can be issued to electors overseas. However, there are concerns inside Canada about whether this system enables everyone to vote. Drawing from various studies of UK electoral administration, it was a great honour to give evidence to…Read more Overseas voting in Canada
What is an electoral integrity research methodology?
How do different scholars do research on electoral integrity? How should they? Prior to making a decision about the choice of methods (e.g. surveys, interviews...) there is a decisions about *methodology*. This involves making assumptions about the nature of the social scientific enquiry. In this new chapter for the Oxford Handbook of Electoral Integrity I…Read more What is an electoral integrity research methodology?
The case for residence based voting
Universal suffrage is often said to be a defining feature of democracy, but is not the reality for many elections around the world.In this new piece for Political Quarterly with Jamie Underwood, we map the arguments for enfranchising all residents - and then the number of unenfranchised adults in the UK.The conversations that take place…Read more The case for residence based voting
Evoting Conference 2025
It was an honour to key the keynote speech open the t𝗵𝗲 𝗘-𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗗 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. It look place in 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆, France at the Centre Inria de l’Université de Lorraine. Over three days, more than 𝟭𝟯𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱—in computer science, political science, law, cybersecurity, and electoral institutions—will discuss the challenges of…Read more Evoting Conference 2025
Billions voted in 2024, but Electoral Integrity Project exposes cracks in global democracy
by Toby S. James, Holly Ann Garnett, and Sofia Caal-Lam The Global Electoral Report 2025 has been published and raises concerns about the state of democracy around the world during 2024’s ‘Super Cycle’ of elections. Described by Time Magazine as the ‘Year of Elections’, 2024 saw 1.6 billion people head to the polls across 74…Read more Billions voted in 2024, but Electoral Integrity Project exposes cracks in global democracy
Electoral Integrity-IDEA report on ‘Review of the 2024 Super-Cycle Year of Elections’ calls for global action
The Electoral Integrity Project collaborated with International IDEA to publish a special report on “Review of the 2024 Super-Cycle Year of Elections: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities”. I edited report alongside Holly Ann Garnett and Erik Asplund. It included chapters from myself, Vasil Vashchanka, Gudlaug Olafsdottir, Julia Thalin, Ingrid Bicu, Sonali Campion, Erik Asplund, Madeline Harty…Read more Electoral Integrity-IDEA report on ‘Review of the 2024 Super-Cycle Year of Elections’ calls for global action