How your MP voted… in your email inbox
If you subscribe to emails that tell you every time an MP speaks via TheyWorkForYou, then you may have noticed a change in today’s mailout.
From today, we’re trialing alerts not just when your chosen MP has spoken, but also when and how they voted — and what could be more timely, what with the dramatic votes of last night! As always, you can click the link in the email to see further context.
The alerts also cover votes in the House of Lords, and in the Scottish Parliament.
This is one part of the work we’re able to do towards enhancing access to democracy, supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundations. It’s a feature we’ve wanted to add for a long time — not to mention something that you’ve been asking for — and as we hope you’ll agree, it certainly adds to our overarching goal of trying to make the goings-on in Parliament more accessible to everyone.
Find out more about votes
Generally speaking, you can check the Recent Votes page on TheyWorkForYou to see whether your MP was present for a division; or if you know what date it was held on, you can go to the calendar, click through to the relevant debate, and find the divisions usually near or at the end of the page.
How to sign up for alerts
Not signed up to follow your MP’s activity in Parliament yet? It’s very simple: just go to this page and input your postcode.
Enjoy tracking your MP’s votes, and watch this space for more voting-related improvements coming soon.
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Image: Luca Micheli
Would it be possible to get information concerning both Keighley and Shipley.
Both MPs have interest in my home town of Ilkley
Yes, you can sign up for as many alerts as you like – you don’t have to only follow your own MP, and you can follow more than one.
Here are instructions on signing up for alerts on an MP: https://www.mysociety.org/2014/07/23/want-to-know-what-your-mp-is-saying-subscribe-to-a-theyworkforyou-alert/. Just follow those and repeat them for any additional MP.
If you’d rather subscribe to keywords (eg ‘Ilkley’so you get an email every time your hometown is mentioned, by anyone), you can find instructions here: https://www.mysociety.org/2014/09/01/well-send-you-an-email-every-time-your-chosen-word-is-mentioned-in-parliament/
Hi – is there any way to turn off the voting updates on email? MPs vote a lot more than they speak, and this is crowding out the stuff I’m really interested in. Certainly will be a useful addition – but not something I want the same level of updates on…
Not at the moment I’m afraid, though I’ve passed your comments on to the developers.