The subject matter of this consultation is really interesting, the MoJs Consultation Paper on Weekend Voting unfortunately is not so forward thinking in its practice as it is in its content. Check out the website for the consultation http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp1308.htm, can you see an online response mechanism there? Nope, nor could we. Does it end in about a week, and did I hear about it? No there as well.
How can a consultation designed to garner ideas on how to reinvigorate democracy and combat apathy, be so apathetic to an engaging format? How can a consultation, which is looking at increasing access to participation in decision making, which even asks about e-voting, not itself be “online”? Yes you can download a document from the website, fill it in in Word format and email it back, but it’s hardly the future is it?
This is such a missed opportunity. It could have been responded to by the time-short none- voters it clearly wants to connect with, but it’s not made it particularly easy for them to have their say or used mechanisms that many of them find easiest. Let’s hope the proposals coming from the consultation make things easier than the consultation itself has.
