Low Voter Turnout Challenges Populists’ Claims to Speak For the ‘Silent Majority’

As the recent local elections in England show, Reform UK candidates standing in most seats has not led to more people turning up at the ballot box, writes Chris Grey

For decades, most established democracies have seen declining participation in elections, raising questions about the legitimacy of their results.

As this isn’t just a feature of UK politics, it cannot solely be ascribed to the unrepresentative nature of the First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system. However, that system exacerbates the question of legitimacy, especially in what is now a multi-party system.

The recent West of England mayoral election, for example, had a 30% turnout with the winning candidate receiving 25% of the ballots cast, thus being elected by just 7.5% of the eligible voters.

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