Direct enrolment can help to improve UK voter participation

Turnout at general elections is in long term decline. At the 2024 general election, only 52.8 per cent of the population over 18 (rather than registered voters) cast a ballot – a figure which has been declining at an alarming rate. In a new report, we set out how direct enrollment voter registration can be implemented…Read more Direct enrolment can help to improve UK voter participation

Electoral Reform: Democratic Principles and Global Practice

Election quality varies enormously around the world.  Given concerns about global democratic backsliding, the issue of how to improve and protect election quality is a pressing policy problem.  Passing reforms to improve the quality of elections, however, has often proved difficult to achieve.  Incumbent governments may be reluctant to reform the rules which brought them…Read more Electoral Reform: Democratic Principles and Global Practice

Hamburg Parliament elections: high commitment to local democracy, but transparency of political funding could be improved

Elections to the Hamburg Parliament took place on 2 March 2025. I served as the Technical Expert to the Council of Europe Congress mission that monitored the election. You can read the statement from the Head and Deputy Head of Mission here: https://www.coe.int/en/web/congress/-/hamburg-parliament-elections-high-commitment-to-local-democracy-but-transparency-of-political-funding-could-be-improved https://www.coe.int/en/web/congress/-/hamburg-parliament-elections-high-commitment-to-local-democracy-but-transparency-of-political-funding-could-be-improved

Real democracy: a new approach to democracy and democratic theory

In an age of 'democratic backsliding' it is worth re-asking... 'what is democracy?.' This new piece in New Political Science draws from a tradition in British philosophy to propose an alternative to traditional minimalist and deliberative approaches to democratic thought. Realist (or real) democracy is present where preconditions exist to fully empower all citizens to…Read more Real democracy: a new approach to democracy and democratic theory

Call for Papers: Democratic Electoral Reform?

Democratic Electoral Reform? REDESIGNING ELECTIONS IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Online workshop, 19-21st March 2025 Organised by the Electoral Integrity Project and Westminster Foundation for Democracy Convenor: Toby S. James (t.s.james@uea.ac.uk) Election quality varies enormously around the world.  Given concerns about global democratic backsliding, the issue of how to improve and protect election quality is a pressing…Read more Call for Papers: Democratic Electoral Reform?

What is Electoral Justice? A Framework…

Problems in the quality of elections are found are the world. It follows that we need strong systems of electoral justice to provide remedy for those who have experienced the injustices. However, there are also concerns about disinformation and polarized elections which might cause candidates, parties and other actors to make false claimsabout election quality.…Read more What is Electoral Justice? A Framework…

UK Voter turnout lowest in decades – an expected result and electoral rules may have played a role

Toby James, University of East Anglia, first published on the Conversation Labour won the 2024 election by a landslide. But a significant story from the night’s results was the low turnout across the nation – the lowest since 2001. At 59.9%, voter turnout was significantly lower than the 67.3% turnout in 2019. Prime minister Keir…Read more UK Voter turnout lowest in decades – an expected result and electoral rules may have played a role