Time for compulsory voting?

At the last general election, barely half of eligible voters cast a ballot. The long-term trend is for this to fall further. Those who don’t vote are disproportionately poorer, younger and ethnically-diverse people. These are the people that Labour exists to help. 

This paper argues that as a consequence:

• politicians prioritise the interests of richer, older, and more secure voters. That is why spending on the state pension has doubled since 2010. 

• small groups of highly-motivated voters can make it difficult for governments to take on vested interests. That is why it is so hard for councils to build houses. 

Taken together, it becomes harder for Labour to win re-election after moving ahead with tough choices to build more houses, redistribute for social mobility and generally grow the economy. 

‘Democracy day’

But compulsory voting would raise turnout, meaning those who benefit most from these policies have their voices heard at elections, rebalancing the incentives that all politicians face. 

The paper calls for the establishment of an Australian-style legal duty to vote, including:

• a £10 fine for those who don’t vote. 

• a “Democracy Day” bank holiday for general elections

• a “None of the Above” option to ballot papers. 

The evidence suggests that compulsory voting is popular with the public, who are twice as likely to support as to oppose it. 

More unstable

And analysis shows that raising turnout is most likely to benefit progressives.

The paper has been written by David Klemperer, a historian and researcher working at the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath. He was previously a Research Fellow at the Constitution Society, specialising in democracy and elections. 

It argues: “Politics looks set to become more unstable, conflicts to become more zero-sum, and governing choices to become ever more difficult. These changes will put our democracy under strain. They also pose particular challenges for progressive efforts to pursue a long-termist politics of economic growth and redistribution. 

“Labour must act to ensure our political system is effective, resilient, and conducive to progressive politics. This paper argues that this must involve compulsory voting.”