Serious flaws in the North’s electoral system

ALWAYS discussed in a ‘by the way’ manner, voter apathy is an issue addressed in the wake of almost every election or referendum.

The assembly elections in Northern Ireland last week, however, did not suffer from significant voter apathy, with a relatively high voter turnout of 63.5%.

The weighty issues at stake on this occasion ensured a high turnout but the Northern Ireland system is itself structurally flawed in a way that means its community is poorly served by such elections, despite a high level of participation.