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<p>The Government believes that everyone should have the opportunity to vote and has
taken steps to increase electoral participation. We are committed to maximising electoral
registration to ensure that the largest possible number of people are able to vote
in any election.</p><p>The Government believes that there is no clear evidence that
voting on a national holiday would lead to an increase in turnout.</p><p>The Government’s
manifesto made a commitment to extending the First Past the Post to all UK elections.
The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-understood by
the electorate and provides a clear link between constituents and their representative
in Parliament. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views
of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than
for any of the alternatives is elected. Furthermore, in the May 2011 the UK held a
referendum where more than two-thirds voted against switching to the ‘Alternative
Vote’ (AV) system and in favour of retaining first past the post. As a result, it
would be hard to justify ignoring the democratic verdict in the referendum, and equally
as hard to make a case for a further referendum on a more ambitious reform such as
PR.</p><p>It is believed by some that the introduction of compulsory voting would
improve turnout and democratic engagement. However, the Government believes that when
participating in a ballot, the position should be that an elector makes a positive
choice rather than a negative one. It does not agree, therefore, that the introduction
of compulsory voting would be a positive step.</p><p> </p>
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