Democracy Volunteers

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Democracy Volunteers is a nonprofit organisation that aims to improve the quality of democratic elections. [1] It sends teams of observers to attend elections and writes reports on their integrity and any issues that were observed.

Contents

History

Democracy Volunteers was founded in 2016 and has since reported on a number of elections in the UK and worldwide. [2] [3]

Research

Democracy Volunteers produces reports on each of the elections they observe.

The report on the 2022 UK local elections found evidence of 'Family Voting' in 25% of the polling booths observed. [4] This research was mentioned in debates preceding the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023. [5] [6]

A key focus of observations on the 2023 UK local elections was on the recently introduced Voter ID laws. This report found that 1.2% of voters were turned away for lacking the correct ID and that non-white passing people were the most likely to be affected by this. [7]

Podcast

Democracy Volunteers has recently begun a podcast called 'Observations' which aims to discuss issues surrounding elections and democracy. [8]

Funding

Democracy Volunteers has received funding from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust from between 2017 and 2025 to aid in its goals. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Democracy Volunteers About Us". Democracy Volunteers. 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  2. ↑ "DEMOCRACY VOLUNTEERS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  3. ↑ "Democracy Volunteers". Democracy Volunteers. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  4. ↑ "Democracy Volunteers FINAL REPORT UK Local and Assembly Elections 2022". Democracy Volunteers. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  5. ↑ Johnston, Neil; Little, Paul; Robertson, Tomas (2025-04-23). "Ballot Secrecy Bill [HL]".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ↑ "Debate: - Bob Blackman - Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 contributions - Bob Blackman extracts". www.parallelparliament.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  7. ↑ Mason, Rowena; editor, Rowena Mason Whitehall (2023-05-13). "Local election observers say 1.2% of voters turned away for lacking ID". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-04-23.{{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ "Observations Podcast". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  9. ↑ "Democracy Volunteers - Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust". 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
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