Leader: Postal votes

Mar 19 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE KEY to what makes a general election of value and relevance is surely the level of turnout.

It is difficult for government to have much credibility if few electors bother to go to polling stations and cast judgement on those who wish to represent them.

Postal voting is a widely accepted part of our electoral system. It has its critics and its supporters and many rightly see it as a way of enabling those who might otherwise be excluded from the electoral process to be involved.

Where the postal vote becomes an issue is when it is used as a means of making voting easier.

Admittedly, it is an attractive proposition for the politicians as part of attempts to encourage turnout. But the downside includes the difficulties in ensuring rigour and security in the postal voting system.

Making voting easier is never going to replace real engagement with the electorate.

And that surely is at the heart of the politician’s role. If those standing for election cannot energise the public and convince them of the power of their vote, then democracy is under threat.