09 November 2001
The public administration select committee has accused ministers of being 'extremely complacent' as the number of people turning out to vote plummets. The turnout for this year's general election was 59%, the lowest since the extension of suffrage in 1918. Committee members are demanding that the government sets up a democracy commission to try to halt the slide.
PASC chair Tony Wright told Public Finance that ministers needed to act to stop this 'civic crisis'. 'It is extraordinary that this collapse in participation has gone largely unnoticed by the political classes,' he said.
Committee members envisaged such a commission seeking out innovative ways of boosting participation – such as voting over the Internet – and then encouraging their use, Wright explained. It would also examine the causes of voter apathy, which has seen turnout in local elections fall to an average of 30%.
'There is a problem with participation. We have a top-down political culture that encourages people to be passive,' Wright said. 'We are now paying the price of not asking people to do very much other than vote every five years.'
The PASC report calls on ministers to attach the same importance to developing electronic voting systems as they have to getting government services on-line.
'The government's response falls short of what is needed,' it says. 'There are no target dates for this important work. By contrast, the government has set strict targets for the achievement of the objectives of e-government.'
The Electoral Commission, which was set up to oversee the voting process and to promote participation, expressed broad support for the MPs' report. 'We are hoping to address this issue, as it is part of our remit. We are exploring what we can do to educate voters,' a spokeswoman said.
Sir Jeremy Beecham, chair of the Local Government Association, said the government could use the forthcoming white paper on local government to persuade the public that voting could bring change.
He called on ministers to boost councils' status as 'a valued partner in the governance of the country and allow them greater powers to initiate activities on behalf of local communities'.
Committee members have asked for a government minister to give evidence at a hearing, and requested assurances that the problems highlighted will be addressed with 'the seriousness and urgency that are required'.
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