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Letter: Perhaps Government Funding of Local Authorities Should Reflect Turnout
Published on: 12 May, 2023
Updated on: 12 May, 2023
J Holt
In response to: Some Borough Council Election Statistics
Perhaps a significant proportion of central government funding to local authorities should be tied to the level of voting.
It would then be in the interest of every voter to vote.
At the moment it is in the interest of local government to keep turnout as low as possible so as to make sure the electorate does not upset the status quo.
Editor’s comment: The former annual grants given to local authorities by central government no longer exist. GBC has reported that the overall turnout for the borough in the May 4 borough council election was 39 per cent.
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Responses to Letter: Perhaps Government Funding of Local Authorities Should Reflect Turnout
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Jim Allen
May 12, 2023 at 5:18 pm
Perhaps like in other countries voting should be mandatory with a £1,000 fine for failing to vote.
That would wake everyone up to their social and moral responsibility to their communities and country.
Keith Reeves
May 14, 2023 at 10:13 pm
Good luck with the enforcement! It’s an interesting idea but only about 13 per cent of countries have mandatory voting. Others which had it in the past have abandoned the policy.
It does generate a higher (but far from 100 per cent) turnout, but is usually not enforced rigidly and a range of exemptions are in place.
The key argument against compulsory voting is that it is not consistent with the freedom associated with democracy.