From a high of 83.9 per cent in 1950, voter turnout in UK general elections has plummeted, with figures dropping below 60 per cent for the first time in 2001. By contrast, the number of citizens around the world with the vote has rocketed. Today there are 120 electoral democracies, whilst 40 years ago there were just 35 or so, and turnout in these newer democracies is typically much higher than in the UK. Their citizens don’t take voting for granted.
This is partly due to a new shift we are seeing towards alternative voting methods. Many countries are voting not with pencil and paper but with automated systems – either with machines, often using a touch screen, that directly record votes, or by optically scanning and counting paper ballots. Now similar technologies such as online voting offer an opportunity for the UK to reverse the declining trend in turnout and especially to confront dismal youth participation: just 44 per cent of 18 to 25-year olds voted in the 2010 general election.
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