Compelled to vote
The Guardian – United Kingdom; Jul 06, 2005
SARAH LUDFORD MEP GEOFF DOBSON ALUN DAVIES JOHN LOADER
With typical Labour arrogance, Geoff Hoon proposes that we be fined if
we don’t vote (Hoon calls for compulsory voting, July 5). Typically in
a general election, three-fifths of those who vote in a parliamentary
constituency see their vote wasted, under the winner-takes-all
electoral system. The situation in Belgium is quite different: who
knows if turnout is 90% because of compulsion or because of fair
voting?
Those who, like me, have never had the “privilege” of being
represented at Westminster by someone they voted for will resent
Hoon’s preference for compulsion under first-past-the-post over
electoral reform.
Sarah Ludford MEP
Lib Dem, London
* The government has an immediate opportunity to extend
enfranchisement. In 2004 the European court of human rights ruled that
the UK government’s blanket, automatic ban on voting by sentenced
prisoners was in violation of protocol 1, article 3, of the European
convention on human rights. The UK is one of only nine European
countries automatically disenfranchising all sentenced prisoners, the
others being Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
Luxembourg, Romania and Russia. The ban dates back to the Forfeiture
Act of 1870 and has no place in a modern democracy.
Geoff Dobson
Prison Reform Trust
* There is just a possibility that it would be better to tackle the
underlying problem that many people do not vote because they know
their vote could not affect their local result or, consequently, the
national result. Changing the voting system to the single transferable
vote would give every vote the potential to affect the local and
national results and give politicians an incentive to campaign to
every elector in every area instead of just the swing voters in key
marginals.
Anthony Tuffin
Chichester
* Well that’ll be a day I never thought would happen – I’ve agreed
with Geoff Hoon. His call for compulsory voting is absolutely right. I
know Britons appear to have a compulsive loathing of compulsion, but
the debate surrounding the policy would be a serious contribution to
making people think about and actually use their vote.
Alun Davies
Bristol
* So Geoff Hoon wants compulsory voting. Geoff, why not start with
compulsory attendance at all debates and subsequent divisions by all
MPs?
John Loader
Ely, Cambs