Case for Democratic Reform
Political Studies: Edexcel A Level, topic 1.1.6
The Case for Democratic Reform
There have been calls for democratic reform in the UK, as institutions may not represent the public as effectively as they could.
Democratic deficit
- Democratic Deficit is the belief that democracy is not working as intended and is failing to ensure sufficient accountability and legitimacy.
- In the case of the UK, this refers to problems with representative democracy in practice.
Example case: low voter turn out
- UK election turnout began to fall after 1997 but has started rising again and remained relatively stable since 2010 at around 60–70%.
- Turnout in the 2024 General Election was around 60%.
- Election turnout is significantly lower in elections other than general elections, such as local and devolved elections
Example case: The voting system
- FPTP creates a two-party system. Parties with no large, country-wide base find it hard to gain seats.
- The two main parties can win less than 40% of the vote but win a majority of seats.
- FPTP creates ‘safe’ seats, where one party is almost certain to win. Opposition voters may feel their interests are unrepresented.
- In votes with many candidates, the popular vote may split, and a candidate with a low vote may win.
- In Belfast South in 2015, the winning candidate had 24.5% of the vote.
Example case: Institutions
- The House of Lords has a mostly unelected membership. The House does not reflect the social composition of the UK population and continues to face criticism over its legitimacy and size.
- The Supreme Court is another unelected institution with the power to challenge laws.
Example case: The EU
- Previously, EU regulations were binding on member states, limiting national sovereignty.
- For example, free movement of labour meant governments could not restrict immigration from other EU countries.
- There have been several movements across Europe to leave the European Union as a result.
- The UK voted to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum, partly due to concerns about democratic accountability.
- Debates about sovereignty and democratic accountability have continued, including issues surrounding the Windsor Framework.
Types of Democratic Reform
There are several types of proposed reform which address different problems of UK democracy.
Electoral reform
- Some believe it is time to change the voting system, for example away from First Past the Post to the Alternative Vote system.
House of Lords Reform
- Some people want to reform the House of Lords because it is not elected, and so not representative of the people, but has an important say in legislation passed.
- The Liberal Democrats have proposed introducing an elected second chamber (for example, a senate).
Online and postal voting
- Currently, voting in UK elections involves the time and money of setting up polling stations and providing physical resources.
- Postal voting already allows some people to vote without attending a polling station.
- Online voting from phones and computers could reduce these costs.
- As well as this, voters may find it difficult to turn up to polling stations, especially if they cannot take time off work.
- Online voting is more likely to engage with younger voters and people too busy to vote, so it might increase election turnout.
Compulsory voting
- Having voting as a legal duty, and fining people for not voting is a way of increasing turnout, making election results more representative of the entire electorate.
- In Australia, compulsory voting exists, and turnout is usually around 95% at elections
Lowering the voting age
- Many argue that 16-18-year-olds are citizens that should have parliamentary representation.
- In Scotland, legislation was passed in 2015 to allow 16-year-olds to vote in Scottish elections.
- 16-year-olds were allowed to vote in the 2014 Independence Referendum.
- The Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 for devolved and local elections.
The Case Against Reform
There are several reasons to oppose electoral reform. There are many institutions that are able to hold politicians to account, and so there may not be a pressing need for reform.
Importance of pressure groups
- Pressure groups allow the representation of minority interests and scrutinise the government.
- Pressure groups inform the public of key issues, and engage the public in politics.
No demand for major reform
- Changes to the voting system have been rejected - major House of Lords reform was rejected in 2012 by the coalition government, and in 2011 the public voted against AV.
Media scrutiny
- The media acts to scrutinise politics and holds politicians to account.
- This is an effective way of monitoring UK politics and informing voters.
Election participation
- In the UK electoral participation is at a similar level to other Western democracies.
Test yourself on Case for Democratic Reform
Which of these cases is NOT evidence for the democratic deficit?
What is a 'safe' seat?
What has been suggested to replace the House of Lords?
Why is the idea of online voting popular?
Which of these reforms were rejected by the UK public in 2011?