Young person spearheads major campaign to change voting system

Owen Winter, a 16-year-old member of the UK Youth Parliament from Cornwall, set up the petition last week. 

It calls for the voting system to be fairer and more representative.

Owen argues that political parties other than Labour and the Conservatives only received 13 per cent of available seats, despite attracting a 33 per cent share of the vote.

“Across the country, thousands of people are disillusioned with our current voting system and would like to see it change," Owen said.

“When I can vote in 2020, I would like my vote to count.

"I don’t want to be worried about ‘wasting my vote’ or ‘letting the other side in’.”

Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, has backed Owen's campaign.
 
She said: “Millions of people – particularly young people – are voting for smaller parties yet are not being represented in parliament, and many others feel forced to vote ‘tactically’ for politicians that they don’t fully support – simply because we’re trying to squeeze seven or more parties into a crumbling two-party system.
 
“With recent research indicating as many as 74 per cent of the public now back a proportional voting system, it’s time to make seats match votes so that people like Owen know that when they do vote, their vote will really count."

The British Youth Council (BYC), which manages the UK Youth Parliament, has called for reform of the electoral system.

Mita Desai, BYC chair, said: “The way we currently elect our MPs needs to be changed and I’m glad so many people across the country are supporting Owen’s campaign.

"It’s time electoral reform was back on the agenda.”