Calderdale residents are holding a rally for proportional representation

The street stall is organised by MVM West Yorkshire, part of Make Votes Matter, a national, cross-party campaign advocating Proportional Representation for Westminster elections.

The event is taking place as part of a nationwide Democracy Action Weekend, in which campaigners will participate in rallies in both London and Manchester on Saturday 5 July as well as numerous meetings and leafleting sessions across the country, advocating for electoral reform.

Samuel Jackson from Make Votes Matter argues that with trust in politics at catastrophic lows, our democracy can no longer survive First Past the Post. Samuel says “The 2024 general election saw a government win a landslide victory on just 34% of the vote, with less than 60% of the electorate turning out. The winning party achieved this victory with fewer votes than they won nationwide in the previous two general elections in 2017 and 2019, which they lost. Here in Calderdale, Labour candidates won in both their safe seat of Halifax and the previously Conservative-held bellwether seat of Calder Valley. However, the winning candidate in the former lost a third of their predecessor’s vote share, and in both constituencies Reform UK split the Conservatives’ support to come in strong third places and turnout fell by over 10% from 2019. With millions of voters turning away from two party politics, there is every chance that in 2029 we could wake up to a government elected on less than 30% of the public vote. Instead of six in ten people being effectively disenfranchised, it could be seven in ten. We cannot afford to let this continue. The need for electoral reform is more urgent than ever.”

Campaigners argue that it distorts public opinion, leaving millions of voters unrepresented. The demand for voting system reform is backed by more than 150 Parliamentarians, who have joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections, making it the biggest active APPG in Westminster. It’s time for a politics reflective of the people, in which all votes are counted, and all voices are heard.

MVM West Yorkshire are a welcoming group who organise regular campaign activities in Hebden Bridge. If you are interested in joining, please email us at [email protected].