Bedford electoral reform group hit the streets and hear concerns about the state of politics

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Members of the local group, which covers Milton Keynes as well as Bedford, donned purple green and white to mirror the suffragette's colours - a reminder of how important a fair voting system is and those who fought for the franchise.

Make Votes Matter is a single-issue campaign which puts into question the current First Past the Post system of voting - a system considered outdated internationally, with dictatorial Belarus being the only other European nation still using it - and seeks to instead champion proportional representation method of voting.

The group – part of a growing campaign boasting branches nationwide – is hoping to get the topic on party manifestos ahead of the upcoming election.

Bedford resident and group member Neil Mann said: "The imminent election meant people were either more interested in our campaign or totally turned off from politics, with not much in between, which is sad. We certainly had some good conversations."

The group stresses that they welcome volunteers from across the political spectrum. One group member said: "People we've met at these events tell us that they're fed up with politics and that all politicians are the same. Our reply is that joining a campaign like ours is the remedy for that, as proportional representation will mean politicians are free to campaign on the issues they genuinely care about rather than towing the line."

Passers by could also participate in a just-for-fun quiz assessing their knowledge of how our current voting system works.

Visit makevotesmatter.org for informative explainers on how it would work.

Bedford resident Neil Mann said: "People have lost faith in the system and don’t feel their voice counts any more, we need to change that system and put back some trust in politics and in politicians.”

If you're interested in joining the local group for more information/leafleting sessions or to help plan our upcoming activities, email us at [email protected] or visit our Facebook page.