Leading think tanks on the Left want Britain to introduce compulsory voting – and the latest proposals would see non-voters fined £10
How would British democracy change if voting was compulsory? (Image: Gary Roberts Photography/Shutterstock)
Pressure is mounting on Andy Burnham to introduce compulsory voting so Britons will face fines if they fail to take part in an election. The IPPR think tank – famed for its influence on Labour policy – wants all eligible UK residents to face a £10 fine if they fail to vote.
There is alarm that younger voters – who are much more likely than older voters to support Left-wing parties – are radically less likely to cast a vote. Its analysis found at the last election only 56% of 18-24-year-olds voted, compared to 81% aged 61-plus.
And while only six out of 10 people with the least educational qualifications voted in 2024, eight out of 10 with a university education cast a vote. The IPPR report comes on the heels of a report in May from Labour Together, now known as ThinkLabour, which also called for compulsory voting.
There was no support for the proposals from the Conservatives.
Shadow Communities Secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “Under these bizarre plans, sixteen-year-olds will be allowed to vote in an election but not stand as candidates. They will be able to vote, but not buy a lottery ticket, consume alcohol, marry, or go to war. Andy Burnham must rule out adopting these policies and urge Labour to reverse its wrongheaded plans for votes at 16.”
However, the IPPR states: “The minimum responsibility of a democratic citizen is to participate in elections.”
It claims low voting rates means politics is “skewed” towards the “interests of older, wealthier, white voters”.
Pushing for Britain to follow Australia’s example by introducing compulsory voting, it claims: “Turnout in Australian elections has fallen below 90% only once since the introduction of compulsory voting in 1924, with similar results in Belgium, Singapore and Chile. Compulsory voting radically reduces turnout differentials between groups. When groups vote in greater numbers, politicians must take greater account of their interests.”
To make it easier to vote, the think tank’s paper backs the “introduction of polling day bank holidays”. It adds that a “none of the above” option should be included on ballots so voters are not required to back any candidate.
In the 2024 election, just under six out of 10 eligible people took part and Labour won 412 of the 650 seats in Westminster with just 33.7% of the vote.
The IPPR paper warns: “Declining turnout, political inequality and a rising sense that voting doesn’t matter are the surest signs of the fragmenting of the public, the weakening bonds of common citizenship.”