What does it really mean to vote freely? In modern democracies, the secret ballot is so familiar that it can feel almost invisible — a routine part of elections that rarely attracts attention. Yet it remains one of the most important safeguards of democratic choice.
On Thursday 23rd April at 7.00pm BST, a distinguished panel of experts, policymakers and practitioners will come together for an online roundtable to explore exactly that: the theory and practice of the secret ballot in the UK and beyond.
Why this discussion matters:
The secret ballot is not just a technical feature of elections — it is a cornerstone of democratic integrity. By ensuring that votes cannot be influenced by others, it protects citizens from intimidation, coercion and undue influence. It allows people to vote according to their conscience, not under pressure from employers, family members, or political actors.
Democracy Volunteers observed the electoral process in 204 Westminster parliamentary constituencies across the UK. The organisation deployed two or more observers to each constituency. In total, the number of observers, experts and support staff was over 200 at this election.
As part of Democracy Volunteers’ election observation for the 2025 English Local Elections, held on May 1st, the team worked with students from Manchester University to assess the impact on local election candidates because of the threats they receive.
Our team wrote to over 2,000 candidates, across parties, to see...
Democracy Volunteers has been observing elections in the UK for 10 years. We have seen ‘family voting’ across the UK and we think it is important to explain more about it and how it should be possible to limit or prevent it.
‘Family voting’, as it is generally called internationally,...
This year, Democracy Volunteers celebrates a decade of independent election observation. Since our founding in 2015, we have grown to become Western Europe’s leading election observation organisation, working at home and abroad to improve the quality of elections and to strengthen public confidence in the democratic process.
Democracy Volunteers celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025, marking a decade of independent election observation. Since our founding in 2015, the organisation has monitored more than 200,000 voters across 13,000 polling stations and influenced reforms such as the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.
'Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton. Based on our assessment of today’s observations, we have seen the highest levels of family...
Democracy Volunteers deployed observers across the Netherlands for the parliamentary elections in October. Deploying 32 observers and experts, 25 of whom were based in the European Netherlands and the...
In September 2025, Democracy Volunteers deployed an international observation mission to assess the conduct of Norway’s Parliamentary Elections. A team of 24 trained observers independently monitored voting and counting...
The UK’s overseas postal voting system is failing — extended enfranchisement without operational capacity has created a perfect storm of lost ballots, tight timetables and systemic disenfranchisement.
Democracy Volunteers has today described Finland’s municipal and county elections as “extremely well-run,” citing high standards in the running of polling stations and good accessibility across polling stations.
Democracy Volunteers has released the report on the 2025 English local elections, held on May 1st. The team deployed observers across every area in England holding elections, with the exception...
Democracy Volunteers has links to many international observer groups, which it tries to support and cooperate with to help improve election observation and also to support those where election...
Italy does not allow domestic election observation, leading to concerns about transparency and public oversight in one of the European Union’s founding democracies.
Democracy Volunteers Director, Dr John Ault said:...
Democracy Volunteers was represented at the Canadian Vote Summit 2025 by our Director, Dr John Ault, who attended the event in Montreal from 20–21 May. Organised by the Canadian-based...
The team at Democracy Volunteers has today condemned the Russian government for imprisoning Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the Russian election observation group GOLOS, to five years...
From Kent in the South East to Lancashire in the North West and from Northumberland in the North East to Cornwall in the South West, Democracy Volunteers deployed election...
On April 13th, Democracy Volunteers deployed 16 observers across Finland for the municipal and county elections. The team visited the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Rauma, Turku, Pori, Kotka, Tampere...