December 04, 2019
Nearly 14 million voters are in seats that have not changed party hands since the Second World War, according to new research by the Electoral Reform Society. 
14 Million Voters Are In Seats That Haven’t Changed Hands Since WW2. Here’s Why
Taking into account equivalent predecessor seats, some seats have not changed party hands since the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign – yes, in the first half of the 1800s. 
Some seats have not changed party hands since the 19th century, with Conservative Hugo Swire’s equivalent seat won from the Whigs in 1835. The Conservatives won now-Independent Sir Oliver Letwin’s seat in 1857, while Theresa May and Chris Grayling’s seats have been held by the Tories since 1874.
Some of the seats had different names then, but the problem remains the same: in some areas, your family could have lived in an area for over 150 years…and you’d still be living under the same single party. "Safe" seats leave voters demoralised and ignored time and again.Even the average seat has not changed hands for 42 years, while 11 Labour and 54 Conservative seats haven’t changed party hands in over a century. 
And it seems the problem may actually be getting worse. Just 70 seats – 11% of the total – changed party hue at the last election, a figure which has been declining in recent years. December’s election could see just 58 seats change hands, according to YouGov’s recent projection. 
What we’ve found:98 Labour seats haven’t changed hands since WWII (37% of their 2017 total).94 Conservative seats haven’t changed hands since WWII (30% of their 2017 total)65 seats haven’t changed hands since 1918 or earlier (10% of seats) – affecting 4.8m potential voters this election192 seats haven’t changed hands since  1945 or earlier (30% of seats): affecting 13.7m potential voters this electionWhat’s behind the problem? Under Westminster’s First Past the Post, winner-takes-all voting system, only one person can win in each seat. That’s a contrast to many other democracies, where your have a number of local MPs to choose from.
What’s worse, if your one ‘X’ doesn’t get over the line, your vote is effectively ignored: thrown on the electoral scrapheap. Under proportional voting systems like STV, if your first choice doesn’t count, your second choice is used instead. No need for endless talk about tactical voting or electoral pacts, no “vote splitting” – just a radical idea called democratic choice. No party should have a monopoly on local representation.Instead, huge parts of this country are effectively competition-free zones, with “safe” seats leaving voters demoralised and ignored time and again.
Elections under Westminster’s broken system rely on a handful of “battleground” seats, while many areas barely have a contest at all. 
It’s clear that we need a change. Voters in Scotland are familiar with voting under a fair, proportional voting system. Wales will soon allow people to vote with a fairer system for local councils.
People need to know their vote will count, whichever party they give it to, and wherever they are in the country. Unfortunately, under First Past the Post, some votes count much more than others. 
No party should have a monopoly on local representation. The next government must commit to introducing a more diverse, democratic system, away from “shoe-in seats” of Westminster’s rotten system, and towards ensuring every vote counts.
It’s no wonder trust in politics is at rock bottom. Being trapped with the same representation for decades is not the hallmark of a responsive and functioning democracy.
This election should be the last ever conducted under the rotten First Past the Post system, that has shut so many voices out.
With untold millions of votes set to go to waste in this coming election, it’s about time the whole UK backed the reforms we’ve seen in Wales and Scotland. Sticking with the same system means yet more distrust, anger and alienation. Instead, we can build a real democracy.
The ERS have launched a tool to find out when your seat last changed hands. Thursday also marks #DemocracyDay when democracy campaigners will be asking all the parties to promote their ideas for political reform.Dr Jess Garland is Director of Policy and Research for the Electoral Reform Society.Related... Marmite Boris Johnson's Election Campaign Goes Down 'To The Wire' Is Johnson’s Friendship With Trump The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name? Is Labour's Election Problem Not The Sales Pitch, But The Salesman?
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Donald Trump's campaign is in chaos, and his niece says she's energized.Mary Trump, the niece of the former president and a psychologist by trade, has previously been critical of her uncle.On Thursday, she said her uncle's failures are adding up.ALSO READ: A neuroscientist reveals how Trump and Biden's cognitive impairments are different"As the RNC’s fundraising falters and Donald’s campaign spirals into chaos, I am energized!" she said in a Substack post.She then continued:"When Donald dominates the news cycle, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Every bad headline has a negative impact. But then I remember something crucial: There’s usually more to the story than meets the eye. I’m determined to cut through the media noise and share with you all the good that happened this week. These are the headlines we need to remain energized and hopeful that the media largely ignored."Mary Trump goes on to highlight President Joe Biden's recent fundraising hauls."President Biden’s $155 million+ war chest has just received another turbo boost, bringing the total of cash on hand to at least $180 million. (By comparison, between his campaign and the RNC, Donald barely has over $50 million — and continues to drain the accounts to cover his absolutely staggering legal expenses)," she wrote. "This is a development that could significantly increase Biden’s ability to influence the narrative in crucial swing states."This, she says, also tells us a lot about voter excitement for Biden."While critics have expressed doubts about the degree to which the Democratic base is fired up as compared to 2020, today’s $25 million fundraiser, raised with donations ranging from $250 to $500,000, should put any doubts to rest — yes, we are absolutely behind President Biden and Vice President Harris and we’re in this fight until the end," she wrote.Read the full post here.
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