2 Internet voting and the European Parliament elections

Much of the rising fear about the performance of democracy in modern nation states is connected with reports of a decline in voter turnout. Parliamentary elections across Western Europe throughout the 1990s show a downward trend in voters going to the polls, almost without exception. ² Levels of participation in European Parliament elections make for particularly gloomy reading with turnout falling again in 1999 to an average of 50 per cent across the EU-15 member states, a fall of over 10 per cent since 1984 within the EU-12. A number of countries, such as Germany and the UK, saw the numbers casting ballots falling to an all time low. ³ Across the Atlantic attention is also focused on the issue of voter abstention. In 1968 just over 7 per cent of registered voters did not vote in the US presidential election. By 2000 that figure had almost tripled to just under 19 per cent. Low turnout among younger voters has caused particular anxiety with only 36 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds reporting that they voted in the US Presidential elections of 2000. ⁴ A similar tale emerged in the recent British General election of 2001 where turnout dropped to its lowest level since 1918, with just over 60 per cent of those between 18 and 24 reportedly not voting. ⁵