Parliament campaign launched to improve EU election turnout

Date:25/09/03

By Martin Banks

THE European Parliament has launched a major publicity campaign aimed at tackling the "awesome" task of improving voter turnout in next year's European elections.

It follows a major research study which concluded that unless action is taken to overcome apathy, the turnout at next June's poll could fall to an all-time low. As part of the image makeover, a 20-strong election task force, comprising representatives of political groups and the Parliament's press service, will be set up to promote the assembly's work.

The Parliament will adopt a new, as yet to be chosen, logo and major TV networks, such as the BBC, will be urged to give more coverage to the EU.

The €5 million cost of the campaign will come from Parliament's coffers.

Turnout in the last European elections in 1999 fell to 49.7%, the lowest since the assembly's first direct elections in 1979. However, this figure plunges to 39% when those countries which had concurrent national elections, or where voting is compulsory, are excluded. Participation was lowest in the UK, where just 24% of the electorate turned out.

The 2004 European elections will be the first in which people in the ten accession countries vote.

Parliament's President Pat Cox accepts that "much more" needs to be done to raise public awareness of the work done by the assembly's 626 MEPs.

He said: "June 2004 will see the most extensive democratic process in history with the citizens of 25 European countries directly electing representatives to a Parliament that plays a substantial role in the EU decision-making process."

He said it was "profoundly disturbing" that in the UK more people voted to evict contestants in the Big Brother TV series than at the 1999 European elections.

"The Parliament does a lot of good work, the problem is that not many know about it. This is the challenge facing us but it is a challenge facing not just the Parliament, but national governments and parliaments and the public too," he added.

The campaign was welcomed by academic Richard Sinnott, of University College, Dublin, who was project coordinator of a three-year study on participation in European elections, conducted by universities and research institutes from ten countries. The group presented their findings at a conference at the European Parliament last Thursday (18 September).

Sinnott said the Parliament faced an "awesome" challenge to overcome voter apathy. One way of tackling this in the long term, he suggested, would be to make voting easier. For example, moving the traditional Thursday polling day to the weekend and from June, when many people are on holiday, to April or May. More postal and electronic voting could also boost turnout.

He said it was "ironic" that as Parliament's powers had increased, public interest in it had decreased. He said the assembly could be more effective in communicating its successes and achievements to the public.