Make My Vote Count

The campaign for voter choice and a more representative parliament

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Write to Your MP

Courtesy of writetothem.com, there is now a quick, no-hassle way of contacting your MP, so it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to email them and get your point across that 'democracy isn't deskbound'.  Here's how:

Step 1:    Go to the website www.writetothem.com (opens in new window)

Step 2     Find out who your MP is, by typing your postcode into the box on screen.  

Step 3     Click on the MP's name displayed, which will then take you through to a screen where you can write your message.

Step 4     Type your message.  Some suggested text  and points to make are below.  You can just copy that  straight into your email.  But it is much more effective if you are able to personalise it in some way: whether by putting things into your own words, adding some extra points, or at least putting a personal message at the beginning.  For further ideas you can read a short briefing on the review here, and a slightly more detailed version compiled by Electoral Reform Society here.

Step 5     Preview your message and if you are happy with it, press send.  That's it. 

Alternatively, if you want to send a letter instead, write to your MP c/o House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

And please forward any response you get to us, as it is valuable for us to know what your MP's position is.

What you might say to your MP:

  • Voting matters and so should voters’ experiences of elections and perceptions of whether their vote counts.

  • The Government needs to go beyond the desk-based review of electoral systems that it has recently published.  Democracy isn't deskbound.

  • The debate should be opened up to the public.  There needs to be a meaningful public consultation process on elections, including looking at the way we elect MPs.

  • Whatever the MP's own views on electoral reform for the Commons, they should recognise it shouldn’t just be up to parties and politicians who have a vested interest in the status quo to determine whether there is a case for change. Voters need to be involved in making that decision, as well as having the final say on which system to implement.

  • Ask the MP to write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, to encourage him to take these points on board and start the debate on voters' experiences of elections.

Some additional points you might like to add:

  • With many other aspects of an MP's employment conditions - like pay rises and expenses claims - now coming under close scrutiny, one powerful way for MPs to restore public faith is to hand over control of the very system that gets them elected and gives many of them jobs for life.

  • The Commons is the primary chamber.   So to wait until Lords reform has been finalised before turning their attention to the Commons, as the Government is proposing, seems the wrong way round.  The debate on what's the best way to elect MPs should start as soon as possible, rather than be determined by what voting system is chosen for the Upper House.

  • [Especially for Labour or LibDem MPs] There are inevitably discussions about what might happen in the event of a hung parliament.  But voting reform should not be seen as a deal done behind closed doors or for partisan gain.  In order to keep all options open, the debate within parties and with the public needs to begin now, before an election.