Modern methods of tackling political disengagement

In all the years that people have been voting, the fundamentals of going along to a set place, casting your vote and then waiting around a bit for the result have remained largely unaltered.

However, this is changing. New methods of voting, inspired by new technologies and historically low turnouts, are beginning to be experimented with.

Since 2001, when general-election turnout plummeted, attention on how to make voting easier and more attractive has heightened significantly.

A number of schemes have been suggested as ways of encouraging engagement. This section looks at the main methods, from the tried and tested to the merely considered.

Postal voting

E-voting

Compulsory voting

Incentive voting

Other