About
A fairer, healthier, happier society
To revive our democracy we need to create new ways of engaging people with it. This is vital for us to be, and to feel, part of a wider society and system. A system that represents all of us, not just some of us.
Our vision is of the UK as a fairer, healthier, happier society where democratic engagement is an active part of everyday life.
Our mission is to provide UK citizens with the tools and support they need to engage and actively participate.
Let's close the Representation Gap
It matters what you measure...
In the UK, turnout in general elections is measured on the number of registered voters, not the total number of eligible voters. That is why turnout is reported at 67% in 2019. So when you take into account the missing eight million unregistered voters (who matter, right?) turnout is down to 57%. And that means the 13.9 million people who voted for the elected government represent just 25% of all eligible voters. That’s a big gap in representation.
Our work to increase participation will continue to support voter registration campaigns, as well as giving people the information they need to make an informed choice when they vote. In doing so we distinguish between under-represented voters and mis-represented voters.
Our Model
DEEP Democracy
To drive Participation, our model recognises the need to support the drivers of participation too. Those drivers are Discussion, Education, and (the feeling of) Empowerment. To get it right we need to address them all.
The Team
Vote for Policies is led by Matt and Leon, and supported by many volunteers, passionate users, and the folks at Savvy Technology.
We have had a few small grants in the past, and currently any income comes from donations or from paid services.
Matt Chocqueel-Mangan
Founder, Product lead
Matt set up Vote for Policies in 2010. He has a professional background in digital service delivery and product consultancy. Read out more about his journey into democracy and why he created Vote for Policies.
Leon Prescod
Director, Research & Analysis
Leon is a committed democracy advocate, passionate about fairness and equality, who loves the challenge of turning complex concepts into bite-sized chunks of goodness. He graduated from the University of Sussex, where he studied Politics with Development Studies.