There has been an
increasing trend among UK
citizens of late not to vote in the multiparty elections or their local council elections. It is
predicted that the upcoming election shall have the lowest turnout since just after the
First World War. In one particular district of Liverpool recently, there was a turnout of six percent for one of their local elections.
So, what's causing this trend? Some would immediately jump and say that people are shying away from their duty as a responsible citizen. The people saying this are mostly of the older generation, and many aren't aware of the some of the perfectly reasonable reasons not to vote. The non-voters have put forward a number of reasons why they do not vote-
- Lack of belief in democracy as a whole. Fair enough, although considering the alternatives it's not an argument that stands up too well. And besides, even if you disagree with the system, surely it's not worth giving up your chance to make a difference to the way the country is run just for the principle?
- They don't believe their votes are counted or make a difference. The general feeling that "the others" will vote, whoever they are.<\li>
- Belief that it doesn't really matter who's elected. The feeling is that the political parties will just continue to do the same thing anyway, regardless of which party is doing it. Some people think the parties just follow their own agendas, and if anything that was in their manifesto happens to come true, they take credit for it.
- Some people think they are doing a duty to their country by not voting because they don't have time to understand the issues involved and can't make an informed decision about who to vote for.
- Some people just aren't bothered, or don't think it's cool to vote.