Thanks to the excellent work of campaigners, including many JRRT and UK Democracy Fund grantees, we see some really positive steps towards renewing our democracy.
Some highlights include:
A firm commitment to introducing Votes at 16 – enabling approximately 1.5 million young people to vote in elections, a transformative reform for youth voice.
A significant expansion of Voter ID to include bank cards and digital forms of ID, which is likely to be impactful, particularly for newly enfranchised young voters.
And recognition of the importance of a more automated system for voter registration, with plans to better use existing Government data for the ease of the voter, and a commitment to “work to create an automated registration system” over the coming years. The timeline and type of automated system is as yet unclear. The Fund has worked with experts to produce guidance on what effective Automatic Voter Registration could look like in the UK. It is important that steps are taken to ensure that this happens in time for the next General Election (expected 2028 or 2029) to urgently help reverse our declining participation rates.
Other areas of progress include technical changes to the timetable for elections, to make it easier for people to vote, an enhanced role for the Electoral Commission in encouraging voter participation, and measures to rationalise the complex legislation on election offences, making it easier to understand, fairer to apply.
In some areas, there has been progress though less than campaigners hoped for
Rules around campaign finance will be tightened, such as reporting thresholds for Unincorporated Associations and permissibility checks for their donors. Rules on company donations will also be tightened. The substantial increase in possible fines for serious breaches is also welcome. However, there is still no sign of a donations cap.
Another outstanding issue is the independence of the Electoral Commission, as the strategy and policy statement introduced in the last Elections Bill is so far to remain in place. Chair of the Electoral Commission John Pullinger said “The independence and impartiality of an electoral commission must be clear for voters and campaigners to see, and this form of influence from a government is inconsistent with that role. This bill offers a timely opportunity to repeal the power for government to designate a statement.”
Together, this announcement represents a very welcome step forward.
However, is also clear that work remains to be done to ensure we achieve the government’s ambition to “bequeath a democracy more robust and relevant to the next generation.”
Image Jane Campbell, Shutterstock