MoneySaving Poll: Euro elections 34% turnout

A question about : MoneySaving Poll: Euro elections 34% turnout

Poll started 20 May 2014

Euro elections 34% turnout – why didn’t you vote?

Voting is one of the most important choices we make as consumers. Yet even though last week’s Euro elections were the most hotly-contested for years, only just over 1 in 3 people eligible to vote did so. So we want to know if you did vote - and if not, why not?

Vote in this week's poll

Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below. To see the results from last time, click this

If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

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Best answers:

• Problem is people those who don't vote in political surveys are more likely to be the ones which don't vote in elections!
  All the same it does appear as if the internet could help to significantly increase the vote, and information to assist voting, especially for young people. It couldn't be less secure than the system we had on Thursday, I could have been anyone!
• I find it hard to believe the MSE Forumites are really so much more politically engaged than the general public. Over 60% voted or spoiled their ballot papers? No chance!
• I don't ever remember voting in European elections before but this year I certainly did and it was Ukip that I voted for.
  I am surprised to find that only 34% of the eligible population voted, I felt this year the elections were very much in the public mind and that the turnout rate would have been much higher than normal.
• MSE forgot the option that they listened to Russell Brand's advice!
  Courtesy of the Mash!
  UK Thank Russell Brand
  THAT not-voting thing has worked out brilliantly, Britain has told Russell Brand.
  33-year old Wayne Hayes said: "I really stuck it to The Man by staying at home on Thursday, even if it does look an awful lot like The Man ended up succeeding beyond his wildest imaginings."
  As two-thirds of the electorate decided not to bother in the European election, the UK will now be represented in Brussels by MEPs who won't bother voting either.
  The long-term plan is for all political decisions to be made in a Mayfair drinking club without the costly and time-consuming exercise of pretending to care less what the public thinks.
  Jester/prophet/lothario/voice of cinema rabbit Russell Brand said: "Cor, it's a proper xenophobey-wobey paradigm shift toward the far righty-wight malarkey, innit?
  "How very un-perspicacious of me 'umble self to not divine how this whole politics imbroglio might have unfolded."
• Oh the irony, that the people who vote in this poll also tended to vote in the elections as well. The whole concept of this poll seems backwards.
• I find it sad that you paired the 'yes I voted' along with 'I spoiled my ballot paper'
  Anyone that spoiled their paper, did not actually vote.
• Im not at all surprised by the results but disappointed in the turnout, i voted UKIP.
  Ive always voted Labour in the generals but im disgusted they haven't pledged a referendum on EU membership to the British public.
  If Milliband doesn't have a change of heart i believe a significant number of traditional Labour core supporters will defect next year-including me.
• My daughter was a first time voter who was in halls away at Uni. We always vote and encouraged her to vote. She lives with 6 other students from all over the UK from different backgrounds. One originally born outside of the UK but in Europe. They live in a big city in south east England and had no information through the door,they have no TV. She finally did her own research on the Uni website to explain what each political party stood for. She was the only one to vote in her flat. The others didn't know who to vote for so didn't bother. Was that the reason why there was such a bad turn out on voting night? These students are our future , our daughter wanted to use her vote for her future. Where we live all we had was a Ukip car driving round! And they got in...
• I have always voted Conservative at general elections and European elections before and usually Labour at council elections (I know most of the people in my local Conservative group and would not trust them as far as I could throw Ken Clarke!!!)
  This time I walked to the polling station undecided ...
  No2Eu - not happening, I don't think we should leave the EU and they are too left wing.
  BNP - I don't vote for racists, then xenophobes, homophobes, sexists, my misogynists or other far right undesirables. The BNP will NEVER get my vote.
  Green Party - tempting but their environmental policy are a bit too extreme for my liking.
  UKIP - absolutely not, never in a million years, I'd actually sooner go out and vote BNP. Both parties have a very similar agenda, similar undesirables weirdos, bell ends and reprobates (to put it politely!) in their ranks at every level and I'm fundamentally opposed to nearly everything they stand for. It's a truly bad day for politics when the faces of anti-establishment politics are Nigel Farage and Neil Hamilton.
  That leaves me the main 3:
  Conservative - My natural choice but I seriously considered voting Labour tactically as I expected them to come 2nd in my area to UKIP or even to vote Lib Dem simply as a middle finger to UKIP.
• It's a hackneyed saying, but in any discussion or forum it must be said by someone - people have fought and died for the right to vote. Voting is your duty.
  Equally clich!d, but still true: if you don't vote you have no right to complain.
• i would normally vote tory. they are hard but realistic.
  sadly not one of the top three have done anything at all to tackle EU policy, immigration and the welfare state.
  for that they show they have lost touch with the true feelings of the working people of Britain.
  if all three where tackled properly then we would certainly be a lot better off.
  because of this the only vote for me was UKIP in protest.
  i hope it makes the tories wake up and realise what they have to do.
  labour and the lib dems wouldnt do anything. they've both proven useless.
• Maybe we should tell people that they can't, musn't, shouldn't vote. Reverse psychology and all that.
• In terms of the vote result. We always expected a higher percentage of people in this poll to vote than the general population for a number of reasons
  1. People who are likely to vote are more likely to vote in a poll
  2. People who are politically engaged are more likely to vote in this poll, and more likely to vote in elections
  In terms of how representative it is the MSE user base (remember most voters come from the main site and email not the forum) does pretty closely reflect general UK internet use demographics, except slightly more affluent and educated.
  However the key for me here was I was interested in why people didn't vote. Ultimately Im discounting all those who did and looking at the remainder to see if anything can be drawn from it.