Talk of wider participation in democracy is never far whenever there’s an election on the horizon and it is clear that more needs to be done to engage people in the democratic process.

Voter apathy, however, is not the only issue when it comes to low turnouts at elections. The cross-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee report clearly shows that the current state of the electoral registration system needs to be reviewed.

The report finds that there have been issues with the implementation of recent electoral registration reforms, including voter ID, which left individuals without the right ID being prevented from voting.

There is an obvious need to prevent vote fraud but the list of accepted photo ID needs to be widened.

A ballot box arrives as polls close and counting begins at the Rochdale by-election. PIC: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

Millions of people are disenfranchised because they are incorrectly registered or not on the electoral register and as Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East and chairman of the committee, points out, that is simply not good enough in an election year.

Alongside a better registration system and more signposting to get eligible people to sign up to vote, politicians need to take responsibility for engaging with would-be voters as well.

Those in lofty positions of power often hector those who feel disenfranchised. Sometimes even ridiculing their apathy.

Instead political leaders need to compel people to be interested by showing them that their views and opinions count. If the next general election is blighted by a low turnout, then politicians need to look in the mirror and seek answers on what can be done to engage more of the public in democracy.

Incumbent on politicians to engage with voters and to make voting easier to tackle apathy

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