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Polls predict a Labour majority, but what might this mean for voter turnout?

With general election result appearing to be a foregone conclusion, some have suggested that people may not vote

The devil may yet be in the detail, but the polls are clear about one thing: Labour is heading for a large, possibly very large, majority when results come in on 5 July. But what might this mean for turnout at the general election? Does a result that seems to be a foregone conclusion mean people might think their vote doesn’t matter?

On a winter’s day in December 2019 turnout was 67%. Down a little on 2017, but substantially up on a low of 59.4% for the UK general election in 2001. With an allegedly uninspiring campaign, a clear signal of the winning party and high levels of voter distrust, some have suggested that a summer’s day in 2024 might not tempt voters to the polling station.

Paula Surridge is professor of political sociology at the University of Bristol

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JfZGeua

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