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Make every vote count - put PR in the manifestos!
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
A vote that counts equally. Wherever you live and whoever you vote for. Chip in now to make Proportional Representation happen!
Want to do something about the state of politics?
This is your chance.
You, me, and your neighbour down the street all know it: our political system isn’t working.
You can change this.
There’s a real chance that after the next election, a majority of MPs could vote to end the unfair First Past the Post voting system.
But only if you keep the pressure up.
By donating £20 today, you will mobilise massive public pressure to demand that politicians make a manifesto commitment to Proportional Representation.
So, here’s the plan...
Everything that you’re about to read depends on the campaign raising enough money to hit the target by the end of this year.
There is a real chance of winning manifesto commitments from a range of parties.
But without money to pay for campaigning materials, events, and activities, the opportunity might be lost.
You can make the difference.
A majority of British voters know we can do better than the outdated and chaotic First Past the Post voting system.
At its conference this year, the Labour Party decisively voted to back PR.
This is a game changer.
The ground is shifting. A better democracy is possible.
At the last election, voters were already given clear pro-PR manifesto commitments from the SNP, Lib Dems, Greens, Brexit Party, Plaid Cymru, and many others.
By donating today, you will keep equal votes on the agenda for these parties, as well as for the growing number of pro-PR Conservatives.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has a history of warm words about electoral reform. But he thinks it’s not a priority for the public.
Unless he is in no doubt that the public want PR, it will not feature in Labour’s manifesto.
But you can show him that you care about PR, by donating now. You’ll fund postcards, meetings with MPs, posters, a historic report, and the whole campaign to make votes matter!
You’ll keep up the pressure on the parties which have historically promised PR. And you’ll turbocharge a powerful campaign to leave Labour in no doubt that there is widespread public demand to change the voting system.
With enough pressure, it’s possible that every major opposition party in Great Britain could enter the next election with PR in their manifesto. That’s the route to a pro-PR majority in Parliament.
Sound good to you? Donate now to make it happen!
How to win a manifesto commitment
By donating, you’ll support talented MVM campaigners to meet with party figures at the highest level.
It’s important to get as many parties as possible from across the political spectrum to include PR in their manifesto and to prioritise it in any negotiations.
But no policy makes it through Parliament unless one of the two largest parties supports it.
An increasing number of Conservatives are speaking out for PR, but the Labour Party is much more likely to include it in their next manifesto.
The Labour manifesto is approved by a committee bringing together representatives of different elements of the party - the leadership, Shadow Cabinet, National Executive Committee, Parliamentary Labour Party, affiliated trade unions, National Policy Forum, and Scottish and Welsh Labour.
Remember - PR is overwhelmingly popular among the Labour membership. What’s holding things back is an incorrect perception that PR isn’t popular with the public.
In order for Labour to put PR in their manifesto, they need to feel the public desire for a better democracy.
How will your donation mobilise this public demand? Read on!
What your money will go towards:
Demanding real democracy face-to-face
The most powerful way to make the case? Face-to-face.
In February 2023, we’ll gather people from as many constituencies as possible to come to Westminster for a day, to meet our MPs in person and tell them why PR is a priority for us.
There are pro-PR MPs who have told us that the reason that they declared support for equal votes was an in-person meeting with constituents.
And flocks of constituents from all over the country all meeting their MPs on the same day in the same location creates a buzz and a momentum that increases the impact.
But some activists need help with their travel costs. They won’t be able to attend unless there’s a travel fund to make sure that anyone who needs help with travel costs will get it. This is particularly important to make sure that MPs hear from people from all over the country, not just from London or the South East.
You can be the reason that an activist is able to travel to Parliament to make the case to their MP in person. £50 could pay for a return train or coach ticket to London. Can you help make this happen by chipping in now?
You’ll print postcards
Before we meet them in-person, your donation will help print postcards which will land on the desks of MPs across the UK.
You can print 379 postcards for just £10!
The first batch of postcards has already been distributed to local groups around the country. Eager volunteers are already asking friends, family, and complete strangers to sign.
By donating now, you can print the next batch of postcards!
At least 100 activists in every constituency
MPs and candidates are most likely to push for PR to be included in their party’s manifesto when their constituents are constantly reminding them that they want PR.
Our target: to get at least 100 constituents in every seat to email their MP - and their Prospective Parliamentary Candidates - and keep pushing until we get PR.
This is a big ask. With current levels of resources, we can’t guarantee that we’ll reach 100 constituents in every single constituency. But every pound increases the chance of hitting the target.
You could pay for digital ads to spread the word to new people. And your donation could pay for leaflets that volunteers need to run street stalls. In fact, by donating £20, you could pay for 1,900 leaflets!
Want this to happen? Chip in now!
Local elections
If politicians don’t hear about PR on the doorstep, they will tell their party leadership that voters don’t care about unequal votes.
So, when they come to your door for May’s local elections, parties need to hear the message: “I care about equal votes”.
Your donation will help pay for window posters for local activists. That way, they can show candidates that PR is their top demand - whether or not anyone is home when the candidates call.
£20 could print enough posters for 79 households!
Can you donate now and help print these posters?
You’ll write a historic report
Imagine if you won legislation to change the voting system - but only to a system that’s almost as bad as First Past the Post!
Make Votes Matter doesn’t advocate for one particular voting system.
Instead, we’ve negotiated the landmark Good Systems Agreement, listing ten properties that any acceptable voting system needs to have (such as making seats match votes, parliaments that reflect the diversity of the population, and votes being of equal value).
The next step is to assess the voting systems in use across the UK against these criteria, comparing their advantages and disadvantages in an easy-to-read report.
This will give real-life examples of some of the voting systems which comply with the Good Systems Agreement - and voting systems which do not.
This report will be shared with the pro-PR political parties, to reinforce the case that any new voting system must be proportional!
By donating, you will fund this vital research. It could change the course of British democracy.
Do you want to be part of it? Donate today!
Who we are
Make Votes Matter works night and day to win Proportional Representation. We are a cross-party movement focused on winning PR for general elections.
We support a grassroots movement of local groups across the UK, and convene a cross-party Alliance of pro-PR MPs, parties, public figures, and civil society.
Your donation will go towards the general Make Votes Matter fund. This will fund campaign activities like the ones outlined, as well as support all aspects of the campaign for Proportional Representation.
Promoted by Make Votes Matter, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX.
PS This is your chance!
Only two countries in Europe still use First Past the Post for general elections: the UK and Belarus.
But make no mistake – PR will not be in enough party manifestos unless politicians realise how much the public want it.
The chances are better than they have been for a generation.
But you need to make sure that those who are writing the manifestos know how much the public care about real democracy.
Will political parties hear the demand from voters?
That’s up to you.
Chip in now and let’s finally win equal votes!
This project successfully funded on 20th December 2022