Following a rollercoaster general election in which voters called the prime minister Theresa May’s bluff and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s approach proved an unexpected success: five ways democracy may have benefitted
1. Highest voter turnout in 20 years
Voter turnout was almost 69 per cent, the highest since 1997, and up 2.
6 per cent on 2015. If you believe in democracy, this can only be a good thing. Record numbers of people signed up to vote on deadline day before registration closed, with more than 600,000 names added to the electoral roll in the final 24 hours.
2. Students make their mark
Young people went some way to defy their reputation as reluctant voters, by turning out in their droves. Early reports suggest that 72 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted in this election, compared to just 43 per cent in the previous. Even in the EU referendum, just 64 per cent of young people went to the polls. Long queues were reported at many university polling stations, likely boosted in good part by Labour’s promise to scrap tuition fees.
“Some people are surprised,”
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3. ‘Inspire us’, say voting public
The results suggest…
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