I am one of the many people locally who took part in the Lewes Make Votes Matter socially-distanced rally. I made our point with a poster outside the Barbican of Lewes Castle the weekend before last. I did this because I believe there is growing support for change. Our voting system is ancient and unfit for purpose. It distorts people’s votes such that we now have a governing party with a majority of 80 seats in Parliament, but with only 43.6 per cent of the votes cast. We have twice had post-war governments who were elected to rule despite coming second in the popular vote. How is this democracy? It is divisive and leads to cynicism and loss of political engagement. Now, at a desperate time in our country’s history, with a pandemic whose effects are devastating people’s lives, and with the hardest of Brexits about to weaken us further, it’s important for people to feel it’s worth getting involved and that their voices are heard and represented. We believe the first-past-the post system needs to go and be replaced by a proportional voting system, so that votes cast mean votes represented – and an end to “elective dictatorships”.