A coalition of civil society organisations have published a joint briefing calling for improvements to the Representation of the People Bill ahead of Committee Stage, stating that the bill presents a rare opportunity to strengthen the UK’s democratic framework.
The coalition welcomes several headline reforms, including extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds and enhancing protections for candidates facing harassment. These measures are meaningful steps during a time of mounting pressure on electoral integrity and public trust in democratic institutions.
However, the Bill does not yet fully address structural weaknesses in political finance, gaps in voter registration, the independence and powers of the Electoral Commission, or the transparency of digital campaigning.
On political finance, although the Bill strengthens rules around company donations and donor checks, there are still some significant loopholes. The coaltion calls for for tighter company ownership tests, caps on large political donations, stronger “Know Your Donor” provisions, and an explicit ban on cryptocurrency donations until effective safeguards are in place.
In addition, while the legislation enables more automated voter registration, it lacks a statutory timetable for nationwide rollout. With an estimated 7–8 million people missing or incorrectly registered, full Automatic Voter Registration is urgently needed — particularly to ensure the success of Votes at 16, as young people currently have the lowest registration rates.
Finally, the briefing also urges reforms to protect the independence of the Electoral Commission, including repealing ministerial powers over its strategic direction and introducing tougher enforcement penalties.There must also be greater transparency in digital campaigning, including mandatory reporting of major online spending, platform ad libraries, and disclosure of AI-generated political content.
Further amendments proposed by supporting organisations cover residence-based voting rights, prisoner voting, improved ballot access for overseas voters, overseas constituencies, and the creation of a National Commission on Electoral Reform.
The coalition has offered amendment text and technical briefings to MPs and peers — framing the Bill as a defining test of whether Parliament will settle for incremental change, or decisively future-proof British democracy.
