Annex 2: Issues raised in correspondence
The Committee received over one hundred items of
correspondence following the publication of its interim Report
on voter engagement. Points raised in the correspondence included:
REASONS FOR NOT REGISTERING TO VOTE
· Linking
registration to jury service creates a disincentive to register
REASONS FOR NOT VOTING
· People
think that Parliament doesn't matter as much as it used to
· None
of the parties represent their views
· Vote
counts for very little
· There
is nothing good to vote for
· Living
in a safe seat
· Disillusionment
with politics
· First
Past the Post voting system disenfranchises huge number of people
· Lack
of any meaningful choice
· Complacency
· Dissatisfaction
with the political class
· Politicians
do not take into account the wishes of the people
· Have
referendums on individual issues
PROPOSALS FOR CHANGE
· Compulsory
voting
· Requiring
some form of qualifications from those standing for public office
· Providing
a financial incentive to vote (eg. a voucher, or discount on council
tax)
· Extending
the franchise to foreign nationals that have been resident in
the UK for a certain number of years
· Letting
the public vote on individual issues
· Informing
people better about rights to register and vote
· Removing
the 15-year limit on British citizens living overseas participating
in UK elections
· Voting
should be compulsory but with the option of abstaining
· Online
voting should be enabled
· Give
the public a way of influencing policy agendas rather than just
voting for a manifesto that is already written
· Give
people something to vote for
· Great
engagement of MPs with constituents
· Proportional
representation
· Include
basic politics on the curriculum
· Make
registering to vote pre-requisite to accessing public services
· Public
funding for political parties
· Make
people feel like they matter
· Enforcing
requirement to register to vote
· Encourage
schools to have student councils and run their own elections
· Take
electoral fraud more seriously
· Ban
party politics
· Have
members of the public serve a term in the House of Commons
· Have
option for "none of the above" on ballot papers
· Reform
the House of Lords
· Reform
funding of political parties
· Greater
devolution of power to localities
· Extend
the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds
· Requiring
photo ID at polling stations
· Politicians
need to be honest and truthful
· Don't
allow multiple terms for MPs
· Whipping
system should be abolished so MPs vote on personal conscience
· Make
Election Day a public holiday
· Automatic
registration using publically held data
· Penalties
for not voting (e.g.. not being eligible for a passport, disenfranchisement
for future elections)
· Elections
at the weekend
· Modernise
parliamentary procedure
· Reform
party structures
· Better
communication with first time voters
· Locating
polling stations in optimal locations
OPPOSITION TO POSSIBLE CHANGES
· Making
voting compulsory would attack the symptoms rather than the cause
of low engagement
· No
to compulsory voting, believes in the right not to vote
· Postal
voting and online voting is open to manipulation
· Not
convinced that 16 and 17 year olds are mature enough to vote
· Online
voting can't provide for secrecy of the ballot
· Making
voting compulsory would be an unreasonable imposition
· Making
Election Day a public holiday would be an unfair cost to business
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