Best was to increase voter turnout?

[KenDodd]

I think give everyone £10 cash for showing up and putting their ballot papers in the box. It might encourage poorer people to vote who are usually the most overlooked.

Yabu - terrible idea
Yanbu - great idea.

Maybe if they put a
"None of these candidates are suitable" option on the card people would be more inclined to share their opinion.

Compulsory with a none of the above box

I’m politically homeless and while I love voting normally I don’t have a fucking clue who to choose this time. Shower of horrors. But who’s in charge of running the country if we all pick none of the above?

Of course it would increase turnout, but it’s not a price worth paying.
We need more than people just turning up.

Have penalties for not turning up (you may still ruin your Ballot paper)

Some sort of award for turning up

Lower the vote to 16

compulsory politics sessions in schools and Colleges this will get people involved earlier, and with a better understanding.

YABU, but it would certainly be effective. I think reducing the voting age to 16 would certainly increase turnout too. I've voted in every election I have been eligible to vote in, I can't imagine not voting (although I'm at a fucking loss this time)but I would resent being made to vote by law.

But who’s in charge of running the country if we all pick none of the above?

Personally I'd be happy that if no candidate got over 50%, then no MP is returned. Fuck it. There's a hell of a lot of banging on about the importance of democracy, but Northern Ireland has managed for years without it's assembly. And given the people unlawfully denied their vote in June are going to get a bit fat fuck all for their losing their vote, it's clear a vote is worth bugger all anyway.

Back in the real world, if you want compulsory voting, you'd have to balance it with "none of the above". Which will never happen, so we can discuss the minutia till the cows some home.

Slightly less radical, and more doable is to move to some form of PR, where everyone can see their vote actually counted. The current system is intentionally designed to slap about 2/3rds of votes in the face whilst saying "Well that's you fucked for the next five years" over and over again. Hardly an uplifting experience.

Anonymous voting register for everyone. Lots of people I know don't register to vote because they don't want their names easily googled and like details private

There's only so far you can go to indulge stupidity before it makes you stupid yourself, really .... anyway, nothing to hide, nothing to fear, right ?

Well, as a start, stop thinking of it in terms of voter turnout but rather voter engagement. Some people find it hard to get to a polling station in person but would be perfectly capable of registering a postal vote. Much more information about how to do this from eg organisations that support disadvantaged groups would help get the message across.

Students Unions should be getting students to think now about where they want their vote to be counted and if necessary register for a postal vote.

And also I wonder how many people actually get a door to door visit from the prospective candidates? We never do, just loads of leaflets.

In a properly function democracy the option to not vote is essential.

should be a choice, but those worried about being searchable need not be. Reading the registration form reveals an optout box for the 'edited register' (the one used by the junk mailers, online directories etc). tick that, job done - only those with a real reason to see the electoral roll can see you.

I believe those that really need to be kept off the main roll (e.g. escaping violence) can also have that too. But for most 'not wanting to be found on google' is easily avoided and no reason not to be able to vote.

you do of course have to be careful with your online presence in general.

Under your plan the last general election would have cost £320 million pounds, and that's without the incentive of a tenner for voting

Every day I meet people that make me think universal suffrage is a terrible idea

Frankly, things are bad enough with the voter turnout as it is - I'm not sure that compelling those who who don't give enough of a shit to vote anyway to do so is going to make things any better in this country.

It's also a fundamental freedom to choose not to vote, tbh--you or I might choose to spoil our ballot papers. Others choose not to vote at all. It's still a largely free country, after all...

And who was it who said that if voting changed anything, we'd never be allowed to do it ?!

I've voted every time since I've been old enough to, so I'd be delighted if I got a tenner as well. Or even a cup of tea and a cake.

I think it should be compulsory and there should be a 'none of the above' vote, though I'm not sure I know what the outcome would be if none of the above wins.

We have a very low turnout, I think because we're a labour safe seat. Loads of people say they don't vote because it doesn't make a difference.

In Australia it is compulsory to vote and if you don't you get fined $10. I think that's a better incentive, no one gets robbed that way.

I think it's a bad idea as it's open to abuse to get ££££££ fraudulently

If people care they will get off their backsides and vote. Polling stations are usually very close and if not there are postal or proxy votes. Being poor is no excuse.

Paying people to vote or fining them won't necessarily encourage thinking and decision making, just a random cross in a box.

And 16 year olds voting is a horrendous thought. I teach that age group and the lack of knowledge is astonishing. Last week's gems included that Theresa May was still still PM, a Brexit was all done and extinction rebellion are to do with Brexit.

16 year olds voting is a horrendous thought. I teach that age group and the lack of knowledge is astonishing
You're not a very good teacher then are you? 😂

Ha ha Raspberry. I am not meant to be teaching them citizenship or whatever it would be known as. It just comes up in conversation, at which point I try to enlighten them a little. General knowledge and an interest in the world is something which stems more from home input and influence anyway.

If only there was a way to push the vote onto everyone’s mobile phone, 2 second job and everyone would do it to get their phone screen back (I know that would be a nightmare proving whose phone is whose but hopefully in the future something like that would work?)

Can I ask those of you who have said it should be compulsory, why you think it should be? Genuine question

I won’t vote

My partner has also stated not interested in voting

Work colleagues are fed up and couldn’t care less

Family have all said they won’t be voting

Friends mostly don’t care

As for the silly £10 bribe - No, on principle I will not be bought.

I’ve washed my hands on voting - never intend to vote again.

It doesn’t matter who you vote for the government always gets in.

I won’t be voting, I am politically homeless. I used to be a member of the LD party but then they sold their principles for a sniff of power and I vowed never to give them a £ or my vote again. Then the L party has got magic grandad and his marxist chums in charge, won’t vote for them as DH still gets upset about the IRA attack he witnessed. I also grew up in a pit village and the thought of voting Tory!!!

I was once so engaged in politics but now I know they all corrupt. I think the Brexit referendum result was about the only time the people of this country actually got an opportunity to vote for real change, and the government have been doing their best for the last 3 years to undermine it. Before anyone calls me a leave voter I didn’t actually vote, was not sure really one way or another. I kind of figured we are a big enough country we’d be ok one way or another.

But I find the concept of referendums fascinating, perhaps we should have more of them! Put the big decisions to the people and get the politicians to deliver the results.

Perhaps we should make referendums compulsory, there is no party allegiance then, you vote has true meaning and the pitfalls of fptp are avoided.