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"Gordon Prentice asked one of his succinct and uncomfortable questions..."

Simon Carr, The Independent, June 2004

Councils to Offer Incentives for Voting

Tags: Local Government | Press Release | Voting Reform

Thursday, 10 July 2008 00:00

Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, has welcomed Government proposals to give councils the power to provide incentives for voting in local government elections. The White Paper: “Communities in Control: real people, real power” published earlier this week suggests councils could enter voters into a prize draw. The White Paper (statement of policy) says voting incentives should not be construed as ‘paying for votes’ or create a major new financial burden on councils. Instead they should be viewed as an eye catching method to increase awareness and engagement, especially with young people who have never voted and who might view the process with suspicion.” The MP commented: “I have been pressing the Government for years to allow councils to reward people for voting. In some countries, such as Australia, there is compulsory voting and people can be fined for not voting. So why not turn that on its head and positively reward participation?” “When I first proposed this it was regarded as mildly eccentric.” Note to editor: The White Paper states: “Many people view voting in elections as one of the duties of citizenship, and carry out their responsibilities every polling day. Increasingly, though, voting is seen as an arcane and alien process, which deters many people from taking part. This is especially true of young people, who are turning their backs on voting in elections in record numbers. “As part of the new duty to promote democracy that we will place on local authorities, they should run information campaigns to explain the processes and implications of voting, especially to young people…