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Electoral modernisation or elite statecraft: Electoral administration in the United Kingdom 1997–2007

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British Politics Aims and scope

Abstract

Since coming to power in 1997 New Labour has introduced an enormous number of constitutional changes. Yet one aspect of change that has been frequently overlooked are those made to electoral administration, which had previously been largely unaltered since the 1918 Representation of the People Act. This article outlines the changes made, seeks to explain the forces behind these changes and offers a theoretical model capable of explaining these and other broader constitutional reforms. It argues that ‘modernisation’, social change and declining political participation were important forces for change, but that ultimately it was party interest that guided the actions of Labour Party elites. As such, it is fruitful to consider the reform process as elite statecraft by using the theoretical model developed by Jim Bulpitt.

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Notes

  1. Other texts within this tradition include Rawlings (1988) and Watt (2006).

  2. The statecraft model will not be discussed in its entirety here. For more details see Buller (1999).

  3. These included the Local Government Association, the Association of London Government, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Association of Electoral Administrators.

  4. Also see Council of Europe (2008).

  5. Interviews were undertaken with a range of sources whose details must remain anonymous. Government ministers were approached but declined interview requests.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the ESRC for the funding of this research. He would also like to thank Professor Mark Evans, Dr. Jim Buller and two anonymous referees for their insightful comments on earlier versions of this article and those who gave up their time to be interviewed as part of this research. All the usual disclaimers apply.

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  1. Department of Political and Cultural Studies, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK

    Toby S James

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James, T. Electoral modernisation or elite statecraft: Electoral administration in the United Kingdom 1997–2007. Br Polit 5, 179–201 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2009.31

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