Promoting public understanding
of electoral democracy
In December 2024 McDougall's archive collection was deposited at its new permanent home - the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. Work is underway to sort and comprehensively catalogue the full range of material and temporarily none of it is readily accessible. Please direct all enquiries regarding access via email to us at: contact@mcdougall.org.uk
McDougall's collections of historic archives and related materials hold extensive and unique items on electoral issues, that have been confirmed to be of historical importance by the National Archives.
Holdings include books, pamphlets, journals, extensive press cuttings, personal correspondence other printed material, and archives, dating from the mid nineteenth century onwards on voting systems and elections, electoral reform and proportional representation, suffrage and other related constitutional issues.
Many of the materials stem from or are associated with the Proportional Representation Society (PRS), founded in 1884, the predecessor of the Electoral Reform Society (ERS). These include extensive records of the work of successive chief officers of the PRS, and of Enid Lakeman OBE, the distinguished former director of the ERS and a noted pioneer in the study of voting systems and their effects.
The more unusual items include:
Holdings also include a set of Reform Acts from 1832 to 1884, and a number of reports on elections held during the 1990s in emerging democracies, Commonwealth countries being well represented.
The collection includes the full archive of Representation: journal of representative democracy dating back to its first publication in 1908.
McDougall Trust welcomes legacies and other donations in support of its charitable work.
Post: McDougall Trust, Unit 14, 95 Wilton Road, Victoria, LONDON SW1V 1BZ UK