MoneySaving Poll: Euro elections 34% turnout - why didn't you vote?

ladyabouttown · 28 May 2014 at 9:57AM

groovygav wrote: »

I find it hard to believe the MSE Forumites are really so much more politically engaged than the general public. Over 60% voted or spoiled their ballot papers? No chance!

The 34% is compared against the overall number of eligible people who can vote, the MSE figure of 60% isn't compared to the overall number of people on MSE. There have been around 4900 MSE votes, if you compare that to around 25000 MSE users that turns 60% into 20%.

Gordon_the_Moron · 28 May 2014 at 10:50AM

Tr@cker wrote: »

Im not at all surprised by the results but disappointed in the turnout, i voted UKIP.

Ive always voted Labour in the generals but im disgusted they haven't pledged a referendum on EU membership to the British public.

If Milliband doesn't have a change of heart i believe a significant number of traditional Labour core supporters will defect next year-including me.

As a traditional Labour supporter would voting for no2eu not be more appropriate than voting for a far right group?
http://www.no2eu.com

Gordon_the_Moron · 28 May 2014 at 11:04AM

I have always voted Conservative at general elections and European elections before and usually Labour at council elections (I know most of the people in my local Conservative group and would not trust them as far as I could throw Ken Clarke!!!)

This time I walked to the polling station undecided ...

No2Eu - not happening, I don't think we should leave the EU and they are too left wing.

BNP - I don't vote for racists, then xenophobes, homophobes, sexists, my misogynists or other far right undesirables. The BNP will NEVER get my vote.

Green Party - tempting but their environmental policy are a bit too extreme for my liking.

UKIP - absolutely not, never in a million years, I'd actually sooner go out and vote BNP. Both parties have a very similar agenda, similar undesirables weirdos, bell ends and reprobates (to put it politely!) in their ranks at every level and I'm fundamentally opposed to nearly everything they stand for. It's a truly bad day for politics when the faces of anti-establishment politics are Nigel Farage and Neil Hamilton.

That leaves me the main 3:

Conservative - My natural choice but I seriously considered voting Labour tactically as I expected them to come 2nd in my area to UKIP or even to vote Lib Dem simply as a middle finger to UKIP.

pennypinchUK · 28 May 2014 at 11:42AM

It's a hackneyed saying, but in any discussion or forum it must be said by someone - people have fought and died for the right to vote. Voting is your duty.

Equally clich!d, but still true: if you don't vote you have no right to complain.

minislim · 28 May 2014 at 5:15PM

i would normally vote tory. they are hard but realistic.

sadly not one of the top three have done anything at all to tackle EU policy, immigration and the welfare state.

for that they show they have lost touch with the true feelings of the working people of Britain.

if all three where tackled properly then we would certainly be a lot better off.

because of this the only vote for me was UKIP in protest.

i hope it makes the tories wake up and realise what they have to do.
labour and the lib dems wouldnt do anything. they've both proven useless.

Gordon_the_Moron · 28 May 2014 at 5:37PM

pennypinchUK wrote: »

It's a hackneyed saying, but in any discussion or forum it must be said by someone - people have fought and died for the right to vote. Voting is your duty.

Equally clich!d, but still true: if you don't vote you have no right to complain.

Balls!

They fought for the RIGHT to vote, not to make it compulsory, it is everyone's right not to vote if they so wish (I say this as someone that has never missed a vote since I was 18)

Bella56 · 29 May 2014 at 10:52AM

Maybe we should tell people that they can't, musn't, shouldn't vote. Reverse psychology and all that.

BNT · 29 May 2014 at 4:57PM

pennypinchUK wrote: »

It's a hackneyed saying, but in any discussion or forum it must be said by someone - people have fought and died for the right to vote. Voting is your duty.

Equally clich!d, but still true: if you don't vote you have no right to complain.

I disagree. I don't see why people should be told they have to vote any more than they should be told they must pick a football team to support.

What makes people think we'll have a better government if we get people who probably have little interest in politics to vote?

MSE_Martin · 29 May 2014 at 5:02PM

In terms of the vote result. We always expected a higher percentage of people in this poll to vote than the general population for a number of reasons

1. People who are likely to vote are more likely to vote in a poll
2. People who are politically engaged are more likely to vote in this poll, and more likely to vote in elections

In terms of how representative it is the MSE user base (remember most voters come from the main site and email not the forum) does pretty closely reflect general UK internet use demographics, except slightly more affluent and educated.

However the key for me here was I was interested in why people didn't vote. Ultimately Im discounting all those who did and looking at the remainder to see if anything can be drawn from it.

torbrex · 29 May 2014 at 6:41PM

MSE_Martin wrote: »

However the key for me here was I was interested in why people didn't vote. Ultimately Im discounting all those who did and looking at the remainder to see if anything can be drawn from it.

You say this and yet the poll only had this option

I did vote, or deliberately spoiled my ballot.

It could be that half of the people that chose this option actually spoiled their ballot paper in which case, they didn't vote thus making your poll a complete waste of time.
The 2 options should not have been put together in the first place.

MoneySaving Poll: Euro elections 34% turnout - why didn't you vote?

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