Group helps shine light on UK voting system with Lancaster city centre campaign

Residents from north Lancashire and south Cumbria braved the wet weather to join hundreds of people across the UK on Saturday to highlight their wish for a more proportional voting system for the UK.
By Gayle Rouncivell
Published 13th Dec 2021, 09:22 BST
Updated 13th Dec 2021, 10:04 BST
Braving the wet weather on Saturday to hold fort at the stall in Market Square.Braving the wet weather on Saturday to hold fort at the stall in Market Square.
Braving the wet weather on Saturday to hold fort at the stall in Market Square.

The ‘Shine a Light on PR’ National Day of Action was organised by Make Votes Matter, a cross-party campaign advocating Proportional Representation (PR) for House of Commons elections.

People around the country ran torchlit street stalls, sent sparkly Christmas cards to MPs and lit up PR campaign messages to demand a democracy in which all votes count equally.

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Local group Make Votes Matter North Lancashire held a street stall in Market Square, Lancaster, inviting the public to sign a petition to change the current voting system, which they say denies millions of people a voice in Parliament, forces millions more to vote tactically, and distorts the will of the British people. 

Part of the sticker board survey that members of the public were invited to take part in.Part of the sticker board survey that members of the public were invited to take part in.
Part of the sticker board survey that members of the public were invited to take part in.

Jo Stocking, who took part in the action, said: "I believe everyone’s vote should count equally. The current system means that most votes have no effect on the results, so Parliament ends up not reflecting what people actually wanted. No wonder people don’t bother voting. The UK is one of the few developed economies that still hasn’t changed to Proportional Representation - it’s time for a fairer voting system in this country fit for the 21st century."

Make Votes Matter North Lancashire, which started in May 2021, now holds regular meetings and is planning a series of campaign events for 2022 across north Lancashire and south Cumbria. Contact the group organisers at [email protected] for more details.

Related topics:ResidentsCumbriaLancaster

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