Turnout on the decline for years

IN DUNDEE one in six households have not returned their registration forms.

A council spokeswoman said: “We will be knocking on the doors of over 12,000 households which have still to give a response.

“Over 60,000 households have already registered and 20 teams from the Electoral Registration office will be canvassing on February 14 to encourage more people to fill in the form.

“The new register of electors will be published on March 10.”

Bite the Ballot’s Scotland organiser Liam O’Hare said: “There are approximately a million people in Scotland who don’t vote in elections.

“With the independence referendum approaching, there is no better time to engage this ‘missing million’ and help everyone to participate in this pivotal democratic process.”

However, just being on the electoral register does not mean a person will actually vote.

Turnout in elections for both the Scottish and UK parliaments has been declining for years.

In the f irst Scottish Parliament elections in 1999 some 59% of eligible voters cast their ballots but this dropped to 49.4% four years later.

In 2007 turnout rose to 51.8% but then fell again to 50.4% in 2011.

In some constituencies in Courier Country, including both Dundee City East and West, fewer than 50% of the electorate bothered to vote.

Turnout is even worse in by-elections. At the two recent contests in Fife — Dunfer mline and Cowdenbeath — the turnout was just 42.65% and 34.78% respectively.

And although a greater proportion of people vote in UK general elections, turnout has also fallen over the last 15 years.

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