With trust at an all time low in our politics, our voting system is making things worse week after week -

• Councillors being elected with as low as 18.9% of the vote

• Mayors being elected with as low as 25% of the vote

• Polls and projections for the next UK General Election that show a party could win a majority of seats in Parliament on less than 30% of the vote

How can people have faith in a system that ignores the overwhelming majority of voters?

The Mayor of the West of England was elected in May 2025 with 25% of the vote. The turnout in that election was just 30%. That means the Mayor received the support of just 7.5% of registered voters in the area. How much of a mandate can a politician claim when 92.5% of their residents did not support them?

It’s not the fault of the West of England Mayor - she won fair and square.

The problem is the system.

The good news there is that the Government has accepted the voting system for Mayors has to change. They have brought forward plans to change the voting system so that voters can cast a second vote for their second preference for Mayor. This was used up until 2022 (the last Government switched the voting system to First Past the Post).

The Government has accepted the inherent flaws of a voting system that can allow Mayors to be elected ‘with just a fraction of the vote’. They noted the problem of Mayors no longer having ‘a strong, personal mandate’. The Government said Mayors should be elected ‘with a greater consensus amongst their electors’.

We agree! We also think the same should apply to the election of MPs.

The case for change has never been stronger.

Public support for changing the electoral system is at an all time high - the recent British Social Attitudes survey found that 60% of people would support change.

We’re seeing councillors, councils and Mayors being elected with incredibly low levels of support on a regular basis.

If the system doesn’t change, then the next General Election could lead to this playing out on a national scale.

If you agree, please sign our petition calling on the Government to deliver change.