The EU referendum is arguably the most important British vote in a generation. The outcome, which will have far reaching consequences for the country, is on a knife-edge. Yet our old-fashioned voting system risks silencing whole groups of voters who deserve to have their say.
Participation in UK elections has been on a downward trend for decades. In this year’s London Mayoral election turnout didn’t even reach 50%. For many people from all walks of life the voting system is outdated, hard to navigate and even alienating. Having to register weeks in advance for a postal vote or being obliged to find and visit a polling station at set times is off-putting and time consuming. The reality is that too often our antiquated electoral system prevents people exercising their democratic right.
When it comes to the referendum, this could have some particularly worrisome implications.
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