crisis of participation

• a lack of engagement increases the crisis of participation
• free media is where anyone has a say in anything
• free fair election is where there is no right way to vote
• the internet can lead to misinformation in political elections
• crisis of participation is a lack of engagement
• A Decline in party membership during the 1900s, though Labour saw a surge during Corbyn’s time as party leader shows there is a crisis of participation
• A distrust of MPs and the expenses scandal in 2009 has led people to feel disenchanted with the Westminster parliament shows there's a crisis of participation
• As Parliament remains overwhelmingly white, male and privately educated despite increases in the number of women and BAME [Black and Asian Minority Ethnic] MPs in recent years there's a crisis of participation
• There has been an Increasing voter turnout since the 2015 election, as well as in recent referendums across the UK which shows there isn't a crisis of participation
• Online engagement has meant that people do have a chance to express their views, and this makes parliament more accountable than at any other time in its existence which shows there isn't a crisis of participation
• reducing the voting age to 16 will mean Young people are more likely to vote. If a person votes once, they are likely to vote again. Also, 16 year olds are legally allowed to marry, pay taxes and join the army
• the voting age shouldn't be reduced to 16 as The majority of 16-18 year olds are not yet full taxpayers and don’t have a stake in society in the same way. Also, many fear they are too idealistic and naive
• Online voting has been adopted in some countries, such as Switzerland, and reduces the likelihood people will just ignore their vote.
• An argument against online voting is Given current electoral manipulation by foreign governments, online voting would need to be extremely secure to ensure it has the same legitimacy
• arguments for flexible voting is that Thursday has become a conventional day for voting, though on the continent it is usually a Sunday. Also, votes took place over several days in the past – the 1945 election took over 2 weeks as soldiers in Europe and Asia had to have their votes counted
• arguments against online voting is that Voting over the course of a few days would make it difficult to prevent parties from campaigning during that time – at the moment it is illegal to campaign on election day itself. If the number of votes early in the election were leaked, they could influence the outcome as later voters voted tactically.
• an argument for making voting compulsory is In Australia this has led to more people voting as they face a AUS$50 fine. It also emphasises the important duty that voting is for all citizens
• an argument against making voting compulsory is Many people in Australia argue that the fine is not enough to encourage lots of people voting. Also, forcing people to vote means those who resent this might choose to use their vote unwisely.
• an argument for changing the electoral system is A more proportional voting system might make people vote more for who they wish rather than the ‘tactical voting’ that has become common in recent years
• an argument against changing the electoral system is A referendum in 2011 decisively rejected a new system called the Alternative Vote with over 66% voting NO. In addition, the principle of ‘the most votes win’ is very simple to understand, while proportional systems often require mathematical formulae that make the reasoning for the vote less clear. This could affect the legitimacy of the outcome in the eyes of voters.