Open date: 24 June 2008
Close date: 26 September 2008
A consultation on whether elections should be moved from the traditional Thursday to the weekend and whether this will make voting more accessible and encourage a higher turnout.
The consultation paper invites views on the merits of moving the voting day for Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections, and local elections in England and Wales, and the best way of doing this. The paper sets out a range of issues that have to be taken into account, including practical considerations, the potential cost of holding elections at the weekend and the need to ensure that any changes do not interfere with religious observance.
The consultation is taking place as part of the government's constitutional renewal programme to reinvigorate democracy and forge a new relationship between the citizen and the state, as set out in the Governance of Britain Green Paper published last July.
Consultation paper
- Consultation paper [PDF 0.63mb, 41 pages]
- Consultation paper - Welsh language version [PDF 0.59mb, 47 pages]
- Questionnaire (Word format) [Word 0.09mb, 3 pages]
Contact details
Please send your response by 26 September 2008 to:
Janice Parker
Ministry of Justice
Elections and Democracy Division
Selborne House
54-60 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW
Tel: 020 7210 8224
Fax: 020 7210 2659
