Proportional Representation campaigners hold Huddersfield street stall to promote electoral reform and televised debate
On Saturday 13 September, members of Make Votes Matter’s West Yorkshire group braved the rain to hold a street stall in Huddersfield’s St. George’s Square to mark International Democracy Day on Monday 15 September and to challenge perceived inconsistencies in the Government’s democratic reform programme.
Make Votes Matter is a cross-party advocacy group calling for the replacement of the First Past The Post (FPTP) system currently used for Westminster elections with one of Proportional Representation (PR).
Keir Starmer’s planned reforms include restoring preferential Supplementary Voting (SV) for metro mayoral and PCC elections and lowering the voting age to 16. However, despite widespread support for electoral reform among Labour´s membership and a Conference vote in favour of PR in 2022, the leadership has refused to back it.
Ahead of International Democracy Day, MVM members in West Yorkshire and across Britain challenged this position and sought to raise public awareness of and support for fair votes. MVM are joining the call for a National Commission on Electoral Reform ahead of the Elections Bill which is expected to be published in the coming months.
MVM argues that FPTP distorts public opinion, leaving millions unrepresented and increasing the risk of political volatility, especially as voters seek more options beyond the two major parties.
With Labour planning to lower the voting age to 16, MVM held their stall near St George’s Square’s statue of Harold Wilson – a native son of Huddersfield – to honour the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1969 during his premiership.
MVM’s street stall was visited by Liberal Democrat Councillor for Golcar Andrew Marchington. He voiced his support for electoral reform, saying that it is ‘very frustrating how votes cast are not reflected in the result’ of an election held under FPTP.
MVM’s efforts were lauded by other West Yorkshire political figures who were invited to visit the stall but unable to due to prior obligations. Huddersfield’s Labour MP Harpreet Uppal was unavailable for comment but has endorsed electoral reform as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections.
West Yorkshire’s Labour metro mayor Tracy Brabin offered the campaigners ‘good wishes and thanks for all of [their] work around democratic reform’ and expressed her support for ‘proportionate voting’, mentioning her support for lowering the voting age and her lobbying efforts to restore SV.
MVM campaigners encouraged Huddersfield residents to support two petitions. The first – on the UK Parliament website – calls for the adoption of PR in time for the next general election. With the Fair Elections APPG now the largest in Parliament’s history and the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill due to receive its second reading next May, this seems achievable.
The second – on Change.org – calls for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or Sky to televise a debate on Westminster’s electoral system. It argues that a televised debate can better educate the public about how voting works in the UK and act as an open and public forum for discussion.
If you are interested in joining MVM West Yorkshire and participating in their campaigning activities, you are welcome to email them at [email protected].