We need a party neutral Get out to vote campaign.
There are a lot of people that are not engaged in politics and believe that their vote does not really matter. We need to change this. The right to vote has been fought for over many centuries. Now is the time to bring people from all backgrounds into the debate and champion the role of voting, both locally and nationally, in order to effect change in a robust democracy representative of the people it serves.
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Perhaps incentive to vote such as a voucher or a small tax relief for a few years would do it , along with mandatory voting over 18 . Like they do with the census conditions every decade , with a caveat on poll cards that states none of the above .
This would go someway to actually promoting real democracy and also recording publics displeasure with parties and policies
We need to have a couple of elections where the whole country sees voting as a Moral and citizen Duty
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1. Automatic Voter Registration
Pair mandatory voting with automatic registration at age 18 (or when eligible). This removes barriers and ensures everyone is ready to vote when the time comes.
2. Civic Education in Schools
Many people don’t vote because they don’t understand the system or feel their vote won’t matter. Teaching students how government works, what voting means, and how to think critically about policies can build lifelong engagement.
3. Make Voting More Accessible
Offer postal voting, early voting, and even online voting (where secure) to make it easier for people with busy lives, disabilities, or those in remote areas to take part.
4. Reward Participation
Incentivise voting — for example, small tax rebates, public transport discounts, or entry into a civic lottery. This can encourage participation without being punitive.
5. Transparent “None of the Above” System
If NOTA gets a high percentage, require political parties to explain how they’ll respond — whether it’s new candidates, adjusted manifestos, or public consultations. That way, protest votes lead to visible change.
6. Simplified Ballots and Clear Info
People are often overwhelmed by unclear ballots or jargon. Making ballots easier to understand, and providing short, unbiased candidate summaries, helps voters make informed choices.
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Or, do what they do in other countries, make it a legal requirement. You can tick ‘None of the Above’ but you have to vote.
Possibilities:
1.Make voting mandatory with a “none of the above” option. Winning candidate MUST exceed all other votes so that NOTA counts as a choice.
- Have a requirement that X% (say 50% of the electorate - will need more study than I have time for right now) must have voted in total for any candidate to be declared the winner. Otherwise a rerun is held four weeks later until that condition is met.
Both would require legislation but the second might be less onerous to implement. I may have overlooked some important detail but I hope the principle makes sense.
Can somebody run some examples of how this would have worked in various recent polls?
