Sam Harris: Apathy leads field as young people vote against politics

More worryingly, will this vote decrease in the next election due to a sense of betrayal on the part of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats? Or is the lack of a compulsory vote the reason for such a poor turnout?

The power of the vote is majorly undervalued, and the power and influence of politics even more so. Understanding this influence and realising the value of the vote appears vital to the increase of youth turnouts in elections. The Liberal Democrats aimed to capture the attention of the youth voters, by placing a key emphasis on a pledge by all prospective MPs to fight any rise in tuition fees. The party managed to engage the young, and enhance the perceived power of each vote. This led to a significant increase on turnout of 18-24 year olds in 2010, compared with the 2005 election.

Students turned out in large numbers all over the country, especially in Nick Clegg’s constituency of Sheffield Hallam. As a result of this, the party had the best election result since their conception in 1988.

Historically, the youth vote has been heavily weighted towards Labour, but in 2010, Lib Dems achieved 30 per cent of the vote.

After believing so strongly in the Liberals, the sense of optimism is turning into a strong feeling of misplaced trust – particularly when the tuition fee cap trebled. Recent polls suggest that the Lib Dems vote will drop significantly, resulting in a return to just two major parties with a serious claim to power.

One way of reducing the susceptibility of being enticed to vote in such a way is to educate the electorate. If the national curriculum stated that political education was, in some capacity, compulsory then we could potentially create young knowledgeable generations, who would not be voting for one policy, but rather the proposed manifestos.

As Winston Churchill once said: “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”

The current lack of awareness of politics is arguably undemocratic, as many voters do not understand the policies they are voting for.

The lack of political education increases the risk of conforming to the perceived socially acceptable vote for the region. For many, parents are figures of authority, and role models, so their political experiences often have a significant influence on our own initial perception of current affairs. Such influences have the power to dictate which box the cross goes in come election day.

Media allegiances with political parties are another major influence on the electorate. If the knowledge of politics is low then many people can be swayed by the propaganda produced by tabloid newspapers and news channels. Such bias is dangerous to the political novice, and can only be challenged by gaining a knowledge of the subject. It is vital that this inaccuracy is resolved and the 18-24 year olds make their own informed decisions on which party suits their political beliefs and needs. This will create a fairer result in elections, and one that is a truer representation of the nation.

Another solution to increasing turnout is the compulsory vote. Such models are in place in Australia. Understandably there are higher voter turnouts, and it is argued that the election results are a fairer representation of the people.

Failure to vote without valid reasoning is a criminal offence, and is punished with fines of $20. Although this is a relatively small fine, it appears to work as a strong deterrent. Voter turnout at the last general election was claimed to be 95 per cent of registered voters.

However its unpopularity appears to be growing. Luke Raams, a 19-year-old student at the University of Western Sydney said, “There is a huge percentage of Australian citizens that wouldn’t vote if they weren’t obliged to...there is a risk that the best political party for the people isn’t chosen to lead, rather, it is the party with the biggest advertising budget.”

It is our democratic right to choose the government by way of general election. The compulsory systems would force people to use this vote in, what some may consider, an undemocratic fashion.

Is this really the road that Britain wants to go down? It is a debate that Britain will have to undertake if apathy is the biggest winner at the next election because of either ignorance – or exasperation over broken promises.