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Kavanagh et al: British Politics 5e

Chapter 20

Elections and voting

The Electoral Commission
www.electoralcommission.org.uk/
The Electoral Commission was established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act of 2000 and has a number of roles in respect of the conduct of elections and referendums. The commission maintains registers of political parties and records of donations to parties. The website also provides data on election and referendum results. However, perhaps the most useful section of the site is its publications section where you can frequently find original commissioned research from academics. Recent publications on turnout and political participation are particularly useful.

The Electoral Reform Society
www.electoral-reform.org.uk/
The Electoral Reform Society was originally founded in 1884 and has been campaigning for a change to the first-past-the-post electoral system for over a century, advocating the adoption of STV. The site provides detailed explanations of different types of electoral system. Also useful is the ‘Briefings, Reports and Analysis’ section which includes publications on all aspects of the operation of the contemporary electoral system.

Make Votes Count Coalition
www.makemyvotecount.org.uk/
The Make Votes Count Coalition includes a variety of groups including Charter 88, the Fawcett Society and the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform and campaigns for a referendum on electoral reform. The site has a variety of resources including news relating to elections and electoral reform, a blog, a forum and a publications section (click on ‘Info’) which includes analysis and speeches by advocates of electoral reform.

UK Polling Report
ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/index.php
A blog run by Anthony Wells. This provides comment and analysis on the opinion polls of the moment. A particularly valuable resource on the site is the compilations of opinion poll data accessible on the right-hand column of the site. Covering all the major polling companies this brings together in one place time-series data on voting intention, the popularity of the party leaders and attitudes towards the most electorally salient political issues.

Political Betting
politicalbetting.com/
Another blog, this time designed as a resource for those who bet on elections. The real value of the site however is in the comments and discussions on opinion poll data and election results. A number of candidates and party insiders contribute to the blog occasionally providing you with very candid and unique insights into opinion within the parties' campaign headquarters.