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The European elections taking place in the UK this coming Thursday have turned out to be the most exciting for a generation. Ironic, given they weren’t meant to happen.
It is perhaps unsurprising that the parties were rather unprepared. And voters too might be forgiven for being unclear about the process. Fortunately, academic experts are at hand to help.
Tatiana Coutto brings us a beginner’s guide that should help clarify what’s actually happening across the continent between May 23 and May 26. What is the European Parliament? What do MEPs do? Why should we bother turning out to vote at all?
Then comes the trickier stuff. Who should you vote for? This year, that question is more difficult than ever. Brexit has engendered a deeply strange state of affairs. What are we really voting for if elected representatives won’t be staying in Brussels long enough to actually do any work?
Many are seeking to turn these elections into a proxy for a second Brexit referendum. Leavers such as Nigel Farage hope that a resounding win for Brexit supporting parties will shock the government into action after months of stalemate. On the other side, Remainers hope to win enough support to justify the case for a second referendum – but the field is fragmented between an unprecedented number of parties. So how can UK voters send a strong message? Victoria Honeyman advises Remainers on how to choose while Chris Stafford trawls through the options for Leavers.
Then is the more technical matter of how you cast your vote. It has been five years since the last European elections and, let’s be honest, it’s not as though British voters are traditionally that invested in the process anyway. So you might not remember what you’re supposed to do in the booth. Paula Keaveney explains what is on the ballot paper, where you’re supposed to mark your X – and how the votes are counted afterwards (which is very different to a general election).
Once results are counted and announced, the analysis will really begin. Anand Menon and Alan Wager have been investigating what the outcome of this vote would tell us about how a second referendum might play out. They found that turnout could tell us an awful lot – and that there will be some key constituencies to watch.
I hope this will all help you feel more prepared for this election than many of our political leaders have been.
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