THE GUARDIAN: These local elections make a national point: voting should be compulsory

Press/Media: Expert comment

Description

In seven out of eight of the last elections, polls were wrongly biased in Labour’s favour, says Manchester University’s Professor Rob Ford. As pollsters try to recalibrate and correct that error, will they swing too hard against Labour this time?

Ukip did exceptionally well in 2013, but Professor Ford looks at what became of them: a quarter of their 130 winners have defected, resigned, been expelled or died. Their two biggest council groups rowed and split within six months. Now they have lost their USP as Theresa May trumps them in Brexit zeal.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/04/local-elections-national-voting-compulsory-young-people

Period4 May 2017

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleTHE GUARDIAN: These local elections make a national point: voting should be compulsory
    Degree of recognitionNational
    Media name/outletThe Guardian
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date4/05/17
    DescriptionToday a third of the English, and all the Welsh and Scots, vote locally – if they can be bothered, if they’re not suffering election fatigue along with Brenda from Bristol.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/04/local-elections-national-voting-compulsory-young-people
    Producer/AuthorPolly Toynbee
    URLhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/04/local-elections-national-voting-compulsory-young-people
    PersonsRobert Ford
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Keywords

  • UK politics
  • elections
  • voter bahaviour