Turnout levels among young voters could improve significantly in this year's local elections if they have the option to cast their ballot electronically, according to research conducted for the Electoral Commission. A survey of 813 adults in England found that three quarters of 18 to 24-years olds, and 55 per cent of all respondents, would be more willing to engage in elections if e-voting was possible.
Voting through the internet was seen by 41 per cent of those surveyed as most likely to boost participation, followed by text messaging (33 per cent), electronic kiosks (30 per cent) and digital television (26 per cent).
The findings, published ahead of the 17 live trials of electronic voting methods by councils in England this year, appear to run counter to the Commission's evaluation of initial pilots in 2002, which concluded that e-voting made no significant impact on increasing voter turnout.
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