Hello and welcome.
 
I’m Rohin Vadera, founder of the Veto Campaign.
 
I started this petition because, as most know, our government has had only a tenuous link with voters for at least the last 20 years. And perhaps, some would say, they only have a tenuous link with reality given the poor policy choices.

All electoral systems, whether they are our own "First Past the Post" (FPTP) or some form of proportional representation (PR), deprive voters of leverage and power, allowing them to be ignored for years until a critical point is reached.

The bar chart below reveals that most so-called Western democracies share this common feature.

 

 

 

We wouldn’t let someone spend our money or borrow in our name without clear consent. However, governments frequently form without the majority support in their seats. This is why we are in the situation we are now.

The Problem

Many MPs were elected with few votes in constituencies where voter turnout was low. By what moral authority do they make decisions that affect us all?

Jess Phillips received among the fewest votes, with 11,275 votes out of a constituency of over 73,000 with a turnout of less than 50%; she is a minister and is playing a central role in one of the most important inquiries the UK has ever seen, which is going nowhere. There were numerous other candidates who received similar numbers.

Keir Starmer himself got 18,882 votes out of over 71,000 in a turnout of 54.1%.

It's crazy that people like these have so much influence over our lives without majority voter support.

It's time to change that. 

The Solution

A new paradigm: an option on the ballot to VETO legislative elections will ensure all governments must have the consent of the majority.

The VETO option is similar to a "none of the above" option but better.

You are not necessarily rejecting all the candidates but the election itself.

This lets voters deny consent for many reasons, such as dissatisfaction with the candidates, the election process, or the issues at stake, and you don't have to get rid of good candidates to get the changes you want.

If a majority of voters in a constituency select "I VETO this election", the result is voided, and the election is rerun (with no limits on how many times this can happen and the original candidates free to stand again).

You vote for a candidate if you think the election will meet your needs no matter how you vote; otherwise, you veto.

Simple.

You don't have to scrabble about trying to avoid the worst of what's on offer with something only marginally more palatable, or vote holding your nose, or just give up and stay home.

Everyone who wants it can make their voice heard directly. 

How it works

In our current FPTP system:

Force a do-over: if over 50% veto, the election reruns—as many times as needed—until we get options we can believe in. Original candidates can try again.

This means that MPs now have an interest in uniting their constituencies. Currently, the more fragmented our country is, the fewer votes an MP or councillor needs to win an election; there is no incentive to unite a constituency.

We can now see sectarian voting blocks that can sway an election. It's a worrying trend, especially as now politicians will pander to those blocs.

 

 

What about proportional representation? (PR)

PR also requires a veto option because it allocates 100% of seats but does not guarantee representation for everyone who may have wanted to vote but had no decent options, potentially resulting in MPs who represent no one! 

It doesn't do away with tactical voting and has the potential to give small minority parties a disproportionate influence over policy that the majority don't support.

PR didn't stop Germany from kneecapping itself. Lead, follow or get-out-of-the-way bakes in extremism.

 

 

The principle that applies is that a percentage veto results in the same percentage of empty seats. For example, if there is a 30% veto, then 30% of the seats will remain empty.

This arrangement retains proportionality but allows more voters to become represented in future elections and keeps pressure on elected MPs to do a competent job, or else even more seats will become empty.

There's no way around requiring the majority's consent to optimise governance. If you think a minority is reliably better at deciding the governance of a country, you are saying that democracy doesn't work, but somehow the minority can be relied upon to look after the interests of the majority as if the majority were their pets or children.

That's just absurd. However, that's how we currently operate; minority rule – no wonder things have spiralled out of control.

Without a veto, elections are "lead, follow, or get out of the way". It's not democratic and sets us up for poor governance and division.

Sign this petition to introduce a simple VETO option on every ballot.

 

 

Why It Works 

Democracy should work; we live with the consequences of our decisions, so we have the greatest incentive to achieve effective governance.

Currently, we are just fuel for the election system, not its owners, and the results are predictable. 

I think it's our duty to reject elections that fail to provide adequate governance; that's how democracy should work.

No more "lesser evil": this isn't about spoiling votes; it's about demanding better representation and holding parties accountable.

As soon as the veto pool is larger than the difference between the winner and 2nd place, the winner must govern with the veto pool in mind or risk losing at the next election.

Imagine the impact

Better policies: politicians will scramble to fix problems like the cost of living crisis, immigration, long wait times for the NHS, or a lack of housing to avoid vetoes. They can no longer break their promises without consequences.

Real voter power: It shows where people are most unhappy, even before a majority veto, and pushes for change across the country. It provides a reliable measure of public dissatisfaction—essential feedback for consistent, effective governance.

We don't have a democratic electoral system. It's really an electoral oligarchy, where the least unpopular at that moment become our rulers instead of our representatives. 

Sign the petition.

Recent elections have shown there is a record low trust; therefore, this veto could transform UK politics by making it work for the people instead of the parties.

Consider signing now to help make voters sovereign.

Let's make voters and the UK great and prosperous again!

Let's unite around making decisions with majority consent and respecting individual rights.

Visit the website to find out more: www.vetocampaign.com

Please share this petition!