Ken Ritchie facts for kids

Kenneth George Hutchison Ritchie, born on December 8, 1946, is a British expert in elections and voting. He is known as a psephologist, which means he studies how people vote and how elections work. He was also a local politician, serving as a Labour and Co-operative councillor.

From 1997 to 2010, Mr. Ritchie was the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. This group works to make elections fairer. He also served on their board from 2012 to 2019.

Early Life and Learning

Kenneth Ritchie grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. He went to George Heriot's School there.

He studied mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating, he spent about 18 months teaching math in Tanzania. This was part of a program called Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in 1968 and 1969.

When he returned to Britain, he worked as a systems analyst. This job involves studying how computer systems work. He worked for Imperial Chemical Industries from 1970 to 1973.

Mr. Ritchie then went back to university. He earned a PhD from Aston University in 1981. His studies focused on how volunteer groups make decisions, especially in East Africa.

Working for Change

In 1976, Mr. Ritchie became the head of International Service for the United Nations Association UK. He held this important role until 1983.

He then led other organizations. From 1983 to 1988, he was the executive director of Healthlink Worldwide. He also served as the deputy director of the Refugee Council from 1988 to 1994. After that, he was the UK Director of the Intermediate Technology Development Group until 1996.

Championing Fair Elections

One of Mr. Ritchie's main interests is making elections fairer. This is called electoral reform. He became a strong supporter of this idea after running for election himself. He felt that the voting system needed to change.

He led the Electoral Reform Society for many years. Just before the 2010 United Kingdom general election, he wrote an article. In it, he explained why he thought the "First Past the Post" voting system was not fair.

Mr. Ritchie also worked with other groups that wanted electoral reform. He was a director of Make Votes Count from 1998 to 2010. He also served on the board of FairVote, a group based in Washington, D.C.

Since 2010, he has been part of the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform. He is also their treasurer.

Campaigning for Causes

Mr. Ritchie has been involved in many campaigns. From 1980 to 1985, he was the treasurer for War on Want. This organization works to fight poverty.

Since 1984, he has been the treasurer of the Western Sahara Campaign. He was also a member of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding. In 1987, he was the chairperson of the London Friends of Palestine. He has also been a board member for Oxfam UK.

Supporting a Republic

In recent years, Mr. Ritchie has supported the idea of Britain becoming a republic. This means having a head of state who is elected, not a monarch.

He was on the executive committee for Republic from 2011 to 2019. In 2011, he started a group called Labour for a Republic. This group works within the Labour Party (UK) to campaign for Britain to become a republic. He has been the secretary of this group since 2014.

Mr. Ritchie was also the chairman of the Reform Foundation from 2011 to 2018. In 2011, he helped coordinate the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group.

Political Elections

Mr. Ritchie joined the Labour Party in 1978. He has run to become a Member of Parliament three times. He was also the chairman of the Labour Party in Beckenham, London, from 1987 to 1993.

He ran for Parliament in Beckenham in the 1987 United Kingdom general election and 1992 United Kingdom general election. He did not win, but he improved his position in 1992.

In 1990, he also ran for election to the London Borough of Bromley local council. He was a Labour candidate for Lawrie Park and Kent House. He came in second, behind the Conservative Party candidates.

Running in Daventry

In the 1997 United Kingdom general election, Mr. Ritchie ran in Daventry, Northamptonshire. This election was a big win for the Labour Party. Mr. Ritchie came in second place, showing a good increase in support for Labour in that area. The areas he ran in were usually considered "safe seats" for the Conservative Party.

He continued to run in local elections. In 2003, he ran for the Daventry District Council in Badby ward. He came in second.

In 2012, he was considered as a Labour candidate for the first Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner. However, another candidate was chosen. In May 2012, he ran for Daventry District Council again in Abbey North ward but was not successful.

Becoming a Councillor

The next year, in 2013, he ran for Northamptonshire County Council in Daventry East. He came in third. He also ran unsuccessfully in Drayton for the Daventry elections in 2014 and 2015.

In 2016, Mr. Ritchie ran in Abbey North again. This time, he was elected! He won one of the seats from the Conservatives. He also ran in Braunston and Crick for the Northamptonshire County Council in 2017.

He served as a Labour and Co-operative councillor for Abbey North until 2021. When a new local authority, West Northamptonshire, was formed, he ran for Daventry West in their first elections in 2021, but he was not elected.

Personal Life

In 1985, Kenneth Ritchie married Elizabeth Anne Black. They have a son and a daughter.

For fun, Mr. Ritchie enjoys playing golf, listening to music, and walking his dog.

In 2006, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.