Scrap the £500 deposit to run for parliament

Closed 336 signatures

What the petition asks

The deposit is unreasonable as it depends on financial means. The ability to pay a specified fee is not a relevant or appropriate criterion for determining access to the ballot paper. There should never be an ‘entrance fee’ to democracy, the democratic process should be open to all.

The deposit of £500 is returned if the candidate gets 5% of the vote - with low turnouts at elections due to voter apathy , this is a tall order for the minor parties and independents. This in turn puts those candidates in a position where they are forced to consider finances before partaking in the democratic right to stand for election .
Lost deposits go to the Treasury's Consolidated Fund, which is effectively the government's current account-that’s why I call it a ‘Tax on Democracy'.

Timeline

21 Jun 2018	Petition opened for signatures
21 Dec 2018	Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 336

Status Closed

Opened 21 Jun 2018

Closed 21 Dec 2018

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