Given the long bank holiday weekend, we have decided to extend the deadline of our ‘COVID-19 & Democracy’ Consultation to Friday the 17th.

Thank you to everyone that has already taken part! 

To those of you that haven’t, we want to hear from you!

Things move quickly in the lockdown. Since the launch of this consultation, Parliament – responding to pressure from the press and civil society – have set forward plans on how to work remotely when they reconvene on the 21st of April.

This is good news, but Parliament is only one part of our democracy. This lockdown is a challenge to so much more.

Elections, for instance, cannot be postponed indefinitely. The worrying scenes from Wisconsin last week show us that protecting the right to vote during this crisis has the potential to be a fraught but vitally important fight.

So many of democracy’s core functions – from voting to MP surgeries and protesting – are threatened by the need to isolate and maintain social distancing. Given that this crisis may last a long time, we have to start thinking creatively about how to protect these core functions.

This is why we launched the ‘COVID-19 & Democracy’ Consultation and why we want to hear from you.

What weaknesses in democratic processes has COVID-19 highlighted?

Which countries/regions have effectively put in place mediating practices that insulate them from the social distancing effects of COVID-19?

If you have any answers to these questions or any ideas about what can be done to protect democratic practices, then please take a moment to fill out our short questionnaire.