Spalding and Long Sutton candidates call on people to vote after nearly 30,000 in South Holland did not go to the ballot box

More people have been urged to make their voices heard after more than 30,000 residents in this area did not vote in last week’s General Election.

There are 78,473 people who are entitled to vote in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency but only 46,063 ballot papers were issued at the 66 polling stations across the area on Thursday last week.

There are no doubt many reasons on why people did not turn out to vote, such as a disillusionment in politics, but this was the first general election in which people needed to show identification in order to cast their vote in the ballot box.

While the 58.70% turn-out in South Holland is line with national figures, there has been some disappointment that more people did not feel passionate enough to vote.

Independent candidate Mark Le Sage is among those who are saddened that more people did not come out.

He said: “How can we decide what the community and constituency feel is important when just over half used their voice?”

Liberal Democract candidate Jack Braginton feels there needs to be a change to the First Past the Post system in order to encourage more people to vote.

He said: “Many political commentators will be going through endless reasons why turnout was so low. My view, and the view of the Liberal Democrats, is that our political system and the First Past the Post voting system is at the core of this issue.

“It is a system which encourages apathy, and protects the status quo. So many people feel like the system is broken, and that they are not able to change it.

“This is not democracy. I am so proud to have stood in this election on a platform of empowering the people, by campaigning for a proportional representation voting system.

“In South Holland and the Deepings, only 38% of people who voted, voted for the successful Conservative candidate. This means that 62% of those that voted will have their values unrepresented in Parliament.

“Until we do away with this electoral system, and make sure that every vote does matter, voters will continue to feel taken for granted and powerless.

“I am so happy to see so many Liberal Democrat colleagues elected in our strongest result in a hundred years, because it takes us one step closer to achieving a fairer system and making votes truly matter for everyone.”

South Holland District Council has confirmed that a total 58 people were turned away from polling stations for not having identification. While 33 of those returned with identification, 25 did not come back.

The council had received 65 Voter Authority Certificate applications (which can be used instead of identification) since the election was called.

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