Try a prize draw!

Jul 15 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HAZEL Blears, Local Government Secretary, has suggested in a White Paper that voters in council elections could be rewarded with tickets for a prize draw or a sticker saying “I’ve voted”.

This is to encourage people to vote. Sadly, not many do in local elections. Precious few do in general elections and invariably governments are voted into power by a minority of the population.

The present Government, for instance, was actually elected by 9,562,122 people, which represented 35% of the vote and gave them 55% of the seats in Parliament.

Considering that the UK has a population of 60m and you can see there were an awful lot of folk who didn’t want them.

However, handing out stickers saying “I’ve voted” hardly strikes me as being the sort of incentive to get punters flocking back to the polling booths.

Mind you, a prize draw might work.

“Who are you voting for?”

“Don’t care really. I’m here for a new telly.”