1. Although society has become more affluent, voter turnout has declined almost everywhere. Why? What can be done to foster higher turnout?

2. ‘The English people imagine themselves to be free, but they are wrong
‘The English people imagine themselves to be free, but they are wrong. It is only during the election of MPs that they are so.’ (Rousseau)
In light of this comment can we still consider ourselves to be in a democracy if a large proportion of the population are not voting?

3. Change in voter turnout over time for five selected countries

4. Why is turnout so low? Constant factors

5. Institutional factors that affect turnout
Proportionality of votes to seats is worth half a percent for every percent by which the number of seats is proportional to the number of votes.
Voluntary Registration
Compulsory voting (increases turnout by 6%)
Postal voting (increases turnout by 6%)
Sunday voting (increases turnout by 6%)
Form of government e.g. coalition or single party majority
Type of power elected e.g. legislative or executive

6. Why has turnout declined? Variable factors

7. Political Parties Decline in party membership
In 1997 only 16% of the population claimed that they had a strong party alignment.
Down’s Theory
‘Catch all parties’ Otto Kirchheimer
Using the media to reach the potential voters instead of mobilising grass root support
Breakdown of class structure

8. Campaigns Negative campaigning Spin Image based politics
Candidate system rather than party based system
(Powell)
Individual MPs are not concerned with low turnout as long as they get elected. Does this not remove their political mandate?
Nature of the policies at stake
2001- majority status of Labour

9. What are the alternative means of political expression
What are the alternative means of political expression? And can any explain the decrease in voter turnout?

10. Alternative means of political participation
Referenda
Pressure Groups (Inglehart)
Internet
Media
These all lead to issue based politics and away
from party alignments.

11. Can we identify trends globally for the decline in voter turnout?

12. (Hector J. Preciado, Summer 2002)
Since the 1950s voter turnout has declined by 5.4% (in a study of 23 countries)
Electoral salience
Role of the Media
Style of campaigning
Generational factors
Minority groups more likely to vote-
‘Voter turnout increased significantly in every county where minority communities are found, including the counties that had experienced a decrease in voter turnout for the previous election cycle.’
(Hector J. Preciado, Summer 2002)

13. Why worry about voter turnout?
Those who don’t vote are the uninformed masses so who cares if turnout is low???

14. How would you increase voter turnout
How would you increase voter turnout? Design your own poster to try and encourage the general public to vote. What causes of low turnout would you target? And consequently which factors do you think have the most potential to change turnout levels. E.g. institutional, cultural, party based, generational etc

16. Some of our ideas…..
Electoral salience. This could used in order to overcome the low turnout for EU elections (which is due to the fact that it is not national executive power at stake- an institutional factor). If they are run on the same day as national elections the importance of the latter will increase turnout of EU elections by up to 18% (Leduc)
Restrict the media to informing rather than using degrading catchy headlines featuring politicians to sell papers.
State financing for parties.
Education
A more proportional system
Importance of member and grass root support of parties.