Sir, – Gerard Clarke suggests that “it’s time in elections to make voting compulsory” (Letters, July 9th).
I’ve also been thinking about these matters in an effort to address both the poor voting turnout rates we’ve seen recently, and the problem of finding ways to get young people interested and invested in what’s happening in their own communities.
I differ though in one respect from Mr Clarke; we should conduct some research into mandatory voting, explore the arguments and see where it gets us.
Perhaps the better approach would be for a properly researched paper undertaken by the Law Reform Commission upon which the Government could then act?
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Anything to improve the numbers voting at elections is to be welcomed.
And it’s with the building blocks of our democratic system, of which voting methods are one, that we should be wrestling to improve turnout and also remedy another connected issue, that of party selection criteria and the all too present danger of getting the “wrong ‘un” on the back of a low turnout.
Mr Clarke’s points are certainly worth an airing. – Yours, etc,
ALASTAIR CONAN,
Coulsdon,
London.