Join us in Parliament Square to call for less First Past the Post, not more!

Saturday 5 February at 12 noon: sign up here to tell us you’re coming

For months, we have been asking the government to rethink certain elements of the Elections Bill. At MVM, we have been primarily concerned with the move to introduce First Past the Post to elections for Mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners. Make Votes Matter is a single-issue campaign to replace First Past the Post with Proportional Representation and takes no position on other political issues. But our Allies at other democracy sector organisations have a raft of other concerns:

Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy said on proposals to introduce mandatory ID to vote:

'Photographic Voter ID is massively expensive. It makes voting harder and reduces turnout. It hits senior citizens and those with severe disabilities the hardest.'

Cary Mitchell, Director of Operations for Best for Britain said on new spending rules introduced in the Bill:

“The new rules on spending will do nothing to make political donations and spending more transparent to voters, but will likely discourage smaller community organisations and charities, who lack administrative capacity and experience, from participating at election time.

Mark Kieran CEO of Open Britain, said on the Bill:

“If passed, the Elections Bill would compromise the independence of the elections watchdog, frustrate the ability of already marginalised groups to cast their votes, and silence campaign organisations that don’t toe the government’s line. Our system would be a democracy in name only.”

Dr Jessica Garland, Director of Policy and Research at the Electoral Reform Society: has said about the bill:

“This Elections Bill is a confused mix of policies which, far from improving our democracy, risks locking millions out and handing increased powers to ministers over our elections.”

Combined, these organisations represent over a million people who are on our mailing lists or support us in other ways. But we have not been listened to, and the government has refused to accept a single amendment to this Bill.

Even the Conservative-controlled Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee agreed, stating in regard to the extension of First Past the Post:

“Regardless of the benefits or disadvantages of the changes made by the Bill to the electoral system for those offices, the manner in which the proposed legislative change was brought about is unsatisfactory. Making changes such as this after the Bill has been introduced and debated at Second Reading is disrespectful to the House.”

The Committee also stated:

“Introducing a compulsory voter ID requirement risks upsetting the balance of our current electoral system, making it more difficult to vote and removing an element of the trust inherent in the current system.”

Now, the time has come to make the weight of our voices heard. On 5th February at midday, we will be gathering in Westminster to demand that the government drops this move, and to protest more broadly about the many problems in the Elections Bill, which will level down our democracy.

At this protest, we will be handing in our petition to Kemi Badenoch, demanding less First Past the Post not more, so be sure to add your name to the 32,000 who want better voting. We are delighted that we will be joined at this protest by a brilliant list of speakers, including:

Fleur Anderson MP, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
Hina Bokhari AM, Liberal Democrat London Assembly.
Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy.
John McDonnell MP, former Shadow Chancellor
Zack Polanski AM, Green Party London Assembly Member, and Democracy and Citizen Engagement.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain
Richard Tice, Leader of Reform UK
Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson

Come and join us on 5th February, and make your voice heard as we demand real democracy.

If you cannot make it, there are still ways you can help. You can share information about the protest on social media, or chip into our crowdfunder, to help us organise the protest. These changes will impact regions across England and Wales. If you can’t make it all the way to London, why not organise a rally in your area? Let us know the details by emailing team@makevotesmatter.org.uk and we can promote it to our supporters and those in our partner organisations.

Across the country, more people are becoming aware that we can make a better democracy. But the Government is determined to close off our broad variety of voices from being heard. Join us, and have your voice heard, as we open up our democracy.