Would you help obligatory voting? Take our ballot and have your say
Britain will be heading to the polls next month for the first General Election since 2019 – and it could be the lowest voter turnout in modern history.
According to a poll by Techne UK, a staggering 20 per cent of the 1,645 voting-age British people surveyed have already decided not to vote. The astonishing apathy is particularly high among young voters, who feel their problems on issues such as housing have not been properly tackled by any of the major parties.
Leading pollster Robert Hayward says many people who say they will vote won’t actually do so on July 4. He believes this is because many Tory voters are furious with their party, while “Keir Starmer has failed to seal the deal and convince people he is a prime minister in waiting”.
“I have felt that we may have a record low turnout because it is clear that a lot of voters look politically homeless,” he says.
Compulsory voting has never been part of the UK electoral system, but do you think it should be? From the dizzying heights of an 83.9 per cent voter turnout in 1950 to the crushing lows of just 59.4 per cent in 2001, the number of people bothering with the ballot box has wildly fluctuated throughout history. The last two UK General Elections saw a 68.8 per cent turnout in 2017, dwindling to 67.3 per cent in 2019.
If you can’t see the poll, click here
Compulsory voting exists in many countries around the world, including Australia, Belgium, Argentina and Brazil. Neglecting to vote in any of these can be punished with a fine, but you can spoil your ballot with no penalty.
Advocates for compulsory voting say it boosts access to the polls, improves the calibre of choices of candidate and bolsters government mandates.
People against the idea say it restricts freedom of choice, as voting is a right which you shouldn’t be forced into. Some say compulsory voting wouldn’t push politicians to inspire voters and that making people tick a box doesn’t make for a very engaged electorate.
Support for compulsory voting has declined since YouGov last asked the British public in 2015. Back then, 55 per cent were in favour of it with 37 per cent against. But its most recent poll in 2022 showed that Brits were more divided on the issue, split 45 per cent in favour to 42 per cent against.
