Recommendations
We recommend that:
i) A more formal mechanism should be introduced
to inform interested parties of planned events and campaigns.
The Commission should build on the informal networks which it
has already created and is fostering.
ii) The Commission should continue to build up
its relationships with electoral administrators in local authorities
to increase awareness locally, by means of local campaigns, posters
and so on. In the UK most people's contact with electoral matters
is via their local authority. There is currently no consistency
in the approach of local authorities in terms of raising public
awareness and therefore scope for the Commission to increase its
impact. The introduction of performance standards could be an
opportunity to do this.
iii) Using the opportunity of closer working
with local authorities, the Commission should develop more outcome
measures to assess the effectiveness of its campaigns. This would
include obtaining more complete and timely electoral registration
data. In addition it could perhaps including smaller scale targeted
surveys, carried out regionally or amongst specific groups.
iv) The Commission should do more to provide
information on local and European elections and institutions,
which some parties consider the Commission could do. It is recognised
that this will be challenging to achieve as the Commission's research
shows a significant lack of interest amongst the general population
in European elections
v) The Commission should improve its website
and the information provided there, to make it easier to use and
to become a one stop shop for electoral data, including, for example
turnout and outcome at previous elections. This would help to
raise the Commission's profile and engender further interest in
elections and the electoral process.
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