Democracy and Participation

Democracy Definition

Power to the people

Choice in government by the people, fair and just system

Features of Democracy

• Education

• Representation

• Accountability

• Participation

• Power Dispersal

• Legitimacy

Representative Democracy Definition

A system of democracy in which people vote for elected representatives who then make decisions on their behalf

Representative Democracy Examples

UK system, vote for a Member of Parliament in a constituency to make decisions on behalf of that area

Direct Democracy Definition

A form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly

Direct Democracy Examples

Referendums (2016, 2014 Scottish independence, 2011 replace FPTP), e-petitions

Advantages of Direct Democracy

• Promotes participation

• Legitimacy of decisions

• Higher turnout (84.6 in 2011)

Disadvantages of Direct Democracy

• Not useful for small issue change

• Lack of education

• Media misinformation (Brexit Bus)

• Inconvinient and impractical

• Voter fatigue

Suffrage Definition

Having the right to vote, being enfranchised is being given the right to vote

Universal Suffrage Dates

• Great Reform Act 1832

• Second Great Reform Act 1867

• Third Great Reform Act 1884

• Representation of the People Act 1918

• Representation of the People Act 1928

• Representation of the People Act 1969

Great Reform Act 1832

• 6% population could vote

• Redrew constituency boundaries

Second Great Reform Act 1867

• Influence of Chartists

• Demands of votes for all men, no land requirement, secret ballots, regular elections, payment of MPs, equal constituencies

• Enfranchise urban working class male

Third Great Reform Act 1884

• 60% population

• All working men could vote

Representation of the People Act 1918

• Influence of suffragettes and suffragists

• All men and some women over 30 could vote (land requirement)

Representation of the People Act 1928

• All men and women over 21

Representation of the People Act 1969

• Lowered voting age to 18

Why race may be a vote barrier

• Language barriers

• Lack of representation of ethnic minority MPs

Prisoner Voting Advantages

• makes rehabilitation into society easier

• No evidence disenfranchisement is a crime deterrent

• Right to vote is fundamental

• Human Rights Act

• alienates prisoners

Prisoner Voting Disadvantages

• Deterrance for crime

• Undermines justice

• Prisons concentrated in constituencies

• Commiting crimes goes against society

16 Year Olds Voting Advantages

• Greater representation

• Closer to true democracy

• Better educated population

• Ability to decide their own futures

• Help fix participation crisis

• Gives ability to decide their own future

16 Year Olds Voting Disadvantages

• Not recieved sufficient information

• Can be easily influenced by peers

• Can be easily influenced by propaganda

• May not read manifestoes

• Lack of life experience

Traditional Forms Of Participation

• Voting in local and national elections

• Being a member of a political party

• Standing as a candidate in elections

• Joining a pressure group

• Writing letters to MPs

• Going on a march/strike

Recent Forms Of Participation

• Signing online petitions

• Engaging with politics on social media

• Organising protests through social media

• Boycotting companies

Participation Crisis Evidence

• Falling voter turnout

• Participation through party membership

• Participation and electoral volatility

Falling Voter Turnout

• Damage from MP scandals

• 75% in 2016 - 59.7% in 2024

• Historically turnout fluctuates

• Turnout higher in referendums

• Lowest turnout in local election

Participation Through Party Membership

• Combined membership only 1.7% of electorate

• People are less likely to be strictly aligned to one party

• Payment for memberships increases

• 1950s Conservatives 2.8mil - now 180k

Participation And Electoral Validity

• More likely to switch between parties

• Partisan dealignment

• Tactical voting

• Disillusionment with parties rather than politics

Public Trust In Politicians

• Support for democracy

• Politicians fail to understand regular peoples lives

• They do not stick to manifestoes

• Live in a ‘bubble’

Participation Crisis Evidence

• Turnout has been steadily declining for years

• Low turnout undermines legitimacy

• Memberships have been plummeting

• Low trust in government

• Loss of faith in the system

No Participation Crisis Evidence

• Low trust doesn’t erode support for democracy

• Low turnout accompanies elections with outcomes predicted

• Proportional representation systems

• Other forms of participation

Preventing a Participation Crisis

• Sticking to manifestoes

• More regular elections

• Better representation

• Increase voting hours

• Automatically register people

• Better compulsory education

• Replace FPTP