Elections in the United Kingdom
As in many Western democracies, the effects of voter apathy are a current concern, after a dramatic decline in election turnout recently. Turnout has fallen from 77% in 1992, 71% in 1997 to 61% in the last election. This was a small rise from 2001, which recorded 59%. The main reasons identified for low turnout are:
- Decline in partisanship (many voters are no longer permanently loyal to one party)
- Reduction in the popularity of various Party leaderships.
- Dissatisfaction with parties' record on public services, education, transport etc.
- Lack of interest in the election campaign.
- Voter apathy due to voters believing their vote will have no effect on the overall outcome
Possible measures to increase turnout include:
- Compulsory voting (seen as an extreme solution, not advocated by many)
- Electoral reform, towards PR (a policy advocated by the Liberal Democrats)
- New forms of voting, e.g., by post, telephone, internet (the scope of postal voting was increased by Labour before the last election). There were several sets of criminal proceedings after the last general election pointing up weaknesses in the postal voting system and resulting in a cooling of enthusiasm for IT and proxy arrangements.
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See also
- British Polling Council
- Electoral register
- Electoral calendar
- Election Day (United Kingdom)
- Electoral system
- Election agent
- United Kingdom general elections (for election results)
- United Kingdom national and local elections
- List of UK by-elections (for by-election results)
- Referendums in the United Kingdom
- Political campaigning on election practicalities.
- Pressure groups in the United Kingdom, for electoral reform groups such as Charter88
- Historical anomalies of the British electoral system
- Marginal constituencies in the United Kingdom
- Electoral Administration Act 2006
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References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2006) |
- ^ http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/RightsAndResponsibilities/DG_10014442
- ^ http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/Candidates-UK-Parl-Election-2007-06_26787-11604__E__N__S__W__.pdf
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External links
- British Election Campaign Material from the University of Salford site
- June 2006: Boundary changes make it more difficult for Labour to win an overall majority
- Adam Carr's Election Archive
- Parties and elections
- The Electoral Commission Statutory organisation that regulates electoral practices
- Elections around the World: United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Election Results
- Make My Vote Count
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