Political participation has tended to be a mixed bag in the United Kingdom. General elections can see upwards of 65% turn out rate, whereas local election tend to average around a 40% turn out rate, HOC Library report. <\/a>When the Brexit referendum was held in 2016 the turnout rate was often speculated about. However the Brexit vote proved \u2018a turnout of 72.2%\u2019 (Electoral Commission UK), the highest turnout since the 1992 general election. The referendum showed a high rate of political participation, awakening a staggering 72% of voters, but why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participation- Vote Leave<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Brexit referendum was a highly anticipated and broadcasted event. Membership of the EU was a deeply contested issue within the UK.\u00a0 A massive campaign broke out, vote Leave against those who advocated to Remain. The \u2018Brexit\u2019 campaign<\/a> was a deeply successful one, it looked at \u2018an initial quest to identify causes of discontent\u2019 (Burca, 2018, pg.46). The \u2018Brexit\u2019 campaign was backed by influential politicians, namely Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. The campaign focused heavily on issues like immigration, with the mantra that voting Brexit would allow Britain to \u2018Take Back Control\u2019. The campaign resonated with people across the country, immigration was an issue becoming more prominent, making the Brexit campaign stand out to the electorate. Crafty campaigning by the vote leave camp meant many working and middle class voters, with little relationship with the EU, were being shown the benefits that leaving it could have. One of the most influential tools was the so called Brexit Bus, driving around the country claiming leaving the EU would give the NHS \u00a3350 million a week in extra funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participation- Vote Remain<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Brexit vote gave two very clear and simple options, to leave or to remain. The remain campaign took on a much more cautious approach to the referendum. Led most prominently by the Prime Minister at the time David Cameron. The Remain campaign advocated for \u2018a clear message about winning a better deal for the country in a reformed EU\u2019 (Glencross, 2018, pg.23). The Remain campaign advocated for stability and promoting the benefits the EU membership had for the UK, such as security. However, the Remain campaign did not have the upper hand on the campaign, \u2018Leave camp had the simpler, more persuasive policy\u2019\u00a0 (Glencross, pg.23). Nonetheless, the Remain campaign was voiced loudly to the electorate, the high offices in the government of the time were held by Remain advocates. Many people felt staying in the EU was a better choice for them and the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why did people vote?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest advantages the EU membership referendum had was that it was a clear cut referendum, people had the choice of two simple options, to leave or remain. Having such a simple message allowed campaigning on both sides to reach the minds of the electorate and tap into all areas that people care about, the referendum was about more than any single political party. The result was by no means a landslide, \u201851.9% of all voters voted to leave the European Union\u2019<\/a> . The outcome showed that both sides of the campaign had a strong turnout, 16 million for remain and 17 million people for leave. \u00a0The Centre for Social Investigation produced a report<\/a> showing that the main reason people voted to Remain was due to the EU\u2019s lack of control over immigration. In contrast, the main reason people voted to remain was to avoid damaging the UK\u2019s economy. The campaign around the EU referendum took on a very domestic, personal feel, particularly than of the Leave campaign. Regular voters, with little relationship with the EU were awoken by these claims of \u2018Taking Back Control\u2019, something that resonated deeply with a lot of people. On the other hand the Remain campaign encouraged those who prioritised maintaining a relationship with the EU to come out and vote to remain a part of one the largest organisations in the world. The EU referendum saw a large rate of participation because it took on a very broad scope. No matter what a person\u2019s political beliefs it was likely one of the campaigns would have points that resonated with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CSI, (2018) \u2018Peoples Stated Reasons for Voting Leave or Remain\u2019. (Accessed 19\/04\/24)<\/p>\n\n\n\n House of Commons Library, (2023) \u2018Turnout at elections\u2019. (Accessed 19\/04\/2024)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glencross, A. (2018). \u2018Cameron\u2019s European Legacy: How Brexit demonstrates the flawed politics of simple solutions\u2019. Brexit and Beyond: Rethinking the Futures of Europe<\/em>, pp.22-27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/pb-happ\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/04\/decision.jpg\")
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