How to up the poll?

GETTING people to the polls is widely regarded as fundamental to an effective democracy.But turnout is tumbling slowly down a steep slope.

At Guernsey's last general election it stood at 55.5%, compared with 63.7% in 2004 - the only two held under the new system of government.

In the UK, general election turnouts fell from 84% in 1950 to 65.1% in 2010, albeit that was up from a low of 59.4% in 2001.

Under pressure from various deputies last week, Home minister Geoff Mahy gave a commitment to improve the numbers registering on the roll for the general election in April 2012.

So what exactly does the department have planned to mobilise the vote?

Members baulked at a bid by Deputy Rhoderick Matthews to make registration compulsory, but some spoke about the need to go even further than that, to compulsory voting - something in action in Australia, where turnout breaks 90%.

Deputy Mahy said lessons had been learned from the last election.

A new electoral roll is being compiled so everyone who wants to vote needs to sign up - it starts as a blank sheet of paper.

'We are going to try to have a high-profile campaign because before we open the electoral roll, nobody is on it,' said Deputy Mahy.

'We will be in supermarkets and going into schools telling the children to encourage their parents to vote, we will be looking at 15-year-old-plus pupils who will be 16 in April 2012, we will also be employing enumerators going around households, especially in multiple-people-occupancy, although we have to ensure people have resided in Guernsey to qualify. And we will be seeking assistance from the media to try to cover every possibility.'

Deputy Many suggests it will be as big as the digital switchover campaign.

'The board is keen to take up Deputy Rhoderick Matthews' challenge to try and increase the numbers on the roll that we had previously.'

Although there were problems with the current roll - it has on it names of dead people and those who have left the island - 33,000 names are on it.

'If people want to live in a community where there is democracy, then we need their assistance.'

Any objection to compulsion seems to be one largely of philosophy.

'Despite the popularity of knocking Guernsey's government, people do like living in Guernsey - they do like the Guernsey way and the Guernsey way is very much live and let live, a tolerance.

'I don't know how popular compulsory registration or compulsory voting would be with the public. I have to say, in six-and-a-half years in the States, I've not had a single person bend my ear on that issue.'

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter may also have a role to play in getting names on the roll and then translating that into votes come election time - the department will take advice on this.

Will the department's efforts be enough?

Deputy Matthews does not think so.

'There are not great resources being put towards this,' he said.

'The past evidence in getting people to vote has for years been very poor; I don't think there's anything significant in their proposals to improve it. I'm sure the department will do its best and try - I think it is smarting from the failures in the last electoral roll. There will be an importance because of that.'

Some £10,000 of the £187,000 set aside for creating the new roll has been earmarked for PR consultants.

'The report says Home is going to try and encourage people to vote as well. I'm not sure that's worth spending money on - getting people onto the register is important.'

Deputy Matthews' bid for compulsory registration on the roll got 15 supporters from across the Assembly's political spectrum.

'What I'm proposing, I think, will ultimately happen after we get another poor result for the electoral roll. It will improve - I've challenged the department, but I don't think it will exceed 75%, which is not a good result when you get 91 or 92% in the UK.'

Deputy Matthews said there was a lot of apathy towards politics.

'It will encourage people to vote if they are on the roll - you get the correspondence, the election manifestos, so I'm sure compulsory registration would increase the number of voters.'

Home is mounting what appears to be a two-stage campaign to get people to participate.

It opens up with getting them signed up and eligible to vote - and then encouraging them out on the day itself.

History shows that turnout is often dependent on whether there is an overriding issue of public concern forcing people to the ballot box.

Is Guernsey's apathy a result of a content population? Or do those people suffering on the fringes feel unable to get their voice heard anyway?

In 2004, the big issue was euthanasia, while in 2008 zero-10 and Fallagate dominated the political world.

Deputy Mahy suggests that interest in 2012 may also be pricked by the candidates.