Therefore the most basic electoral-reform project in such countries is to achieve a transfer of power to a democratically elected government with a minimum of bloodshed, e.g. in South Africa in 1994.
Previously-ruling authorities sometimes postpone reforms and elections as long as possible but by doing so, risk social unrest, rebellion, political violence and/or civil war.
Contention over electoral constituency borders within or between nations and definitions of "refugee", "citizen", and "right of return" mark various global conflicts, including those in Israel/Palestine, the Congo, and Rwanda.
Electoral constituencies (or "ridings" or "districts") need to be adjusted frequently, or by statutory rules and definitions, to eliminate malapportionment due to population movements.
The franchise has also been extended to give the vote to women, particular races or ethnic groups, those with Treaty Indian status, adults younger than 21.
The PEI government did not implement a proportional voting system, saying the turnout of only 36 percent made it "doubtful whether these results can be said to constitute a clear expression of the will of Prince Edward Islanders".
The NDP promised to implement mixed-member proportional representation with regional and open party lists, based on the 2004 recommendations of the Law Commission.
Many prominent members of his caucus and cabinet (including Stephane Dion, Dominic Leblanc, and Chrystia Freeland) stated they supported proportional representation.
[22] Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Electoral Reform urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to break his promise to change Canada's voting system before the next federal election in 2019.
In its final report, Strengthening Democracy in Canada, (December 2016) the Standing Committee on Electoral Reform recommended the government design a proportional election system and hold a national referendum to gauge Canadians' support.
[42] The new electoral law barred people found guilty of "corrupt practices" from standing in elections, marginalized smaller parties, and effectively removed the right of Mongolian expatriates to vote, as they could not be registered in a specific constituency.
The passage of the Great Reform Bill of 1832 made the electoral system fairer by eliminating many of the rotten boroughs and burgage tenements that were represented by two members while having very few voters, and by allocating more seats to districts in relatively newer factory towns and cities.
A Speaker's Conference on electoral reform in January 1917 unanimously recommended a mix of AV and STV for elections to the House of Commons.
[60] In January 1931, the minority Labour government, then supported by the Liberals, introduced a Representation of the People Bill that included switching to AV.
With the rise of the SDP-Liberal Alliance following 1981's Limehouse Declaration, Britain gained a popular third-party bloc that supported significant reform of the voting and parliamentary systems.
[68] When Labour regained power in 1997, they had committed in their manifesto to a slew of new reformist policies relating to modernisation and democratisation of various institutions through electoral reform.
[69] For general elections, they had committed to implementing the findings of the Jenkins Commission, which was set up to evaluate flaws in FPTP and propose a new electoral system that would suit the quirks of British politics.
The commission reported back, including a proposal for AV+, but its findings were not embraced by the government and were never put before the House of Commons; therefore, FPTP remained in place for subsequent elections.
[70] In the 2010 general election campaign, the possibility of a hung parliament and the earlier expenses scandal pushed electoral reform up the agenda, something long supported by the Liberal Democrats.
[71] The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government held a referendum on introducing AV for the Commons on 5 May 2011, which, despite commitments to review the voting system for "fair vote reforms" in the Conservative manifesto,[72] and an unequivocal backing of AV from the Labour Party in their manifesto,[73] was met by campaigning for No, and indifference with no clear or consistent party position, respectively.
[75] The result of the referendum has had long-lasting political repercussions, being cited by later Conservative governments as proof that public opinion was decidedly against any reform of the voting system.
The bill was pulled before passage however, as while the government imposed a three-line whip on its MPs to support the measure, a large rebellion of Conservatives was developing.
[73] To avoid a painful and humiliating defeat, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who had instigated the bill's passage and whose Liberal Democrat party had long-since supported the reform, was forced to back down.
Clegg accused the Conservatives of breaking the coalition agreement, and Prime Minister David Cameron was said to be furious at his backbenchers for endangering the government's stability and authority.
(See main article: House of Lords Reform Bill 2012) The 2015 general election was expected to deliver a hung parliament.
[83] In the Queen's Speech of May that year, the Government proposed the introduction of compulsory Photo ID for voters in England and in UK-wide elections.
[86] Their campaign for soft-left cooperation is ongoing and have primarily focused on social media initiatives and sponsoring research into voting patterns.
[96] The UK Labour government elected in July 2024 has a manifesto commitment to restrict donations to political parties and reduce the minimum voting age from 18 to 16.
[97] In December 2024, Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney introduced the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill to the Commons under the ten minute rule, where it passed its first reading.
There are ongoing extensive debates of the fairness and effects of the Electoral College, existing voting systems, and campaign financing laws, as well as the proposals for reform.