Reforming elections: assessing the government’s proposals

The Constitution Unit

Parliament is scrutinising two sets of government proposals relating to elections: the Elections Bill and the draft Online Safety Bill. Some aspects of both measures have been widely welcomed, but others are controversial. Will tighter parliamentary control over the Electoral Commission harm that body’s independence? Will voter ID requirements reduce access to the ballot? Does the Bill deal effectively with complex questions concerning notional expenditure and ‘third party’ regulation? Will the proposals on online safety – much changed since they were first put forward in 2019 – enable rather than inhibit misinformation? In this seminar, a panel of leading experts and practitioners will reflect.

Speakers:

Justin Fisher, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Policy Unit, Brunel University

Laura Lock, Deputy Chief Executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators

Baroness (Nicky) Morgan of Cotes, former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, now Vice-Chair of the APPG on Digital Regulation and Responsibility

Louise Edwards, Director of Regulation at the Electoral Commission

Chair: Dr Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit