March 30 2006, 9:00am - 1:00pm
Conference Suite, Harold Hankins Building

The Institute for Political and Economic Governance (IPEG) announces this event as part of a series of seminars for those in the region who are engaged and involved in public policy work and are seeking expert briefings on current issues, workshops on key topics and knowledge transfer, training and capacity building sessions, seminars and master classes.

This workshop is focused on one of the most critical issues of current times – getting people to vote in elections, and we invite you to make a booking for this morning event taking place on 30th March at the University of Manchester. There will be presentations from experts in the field, followed by discussion groups facilitated by the keynote speakers and other experts in the field.

The booking includes refreshments and a buffet lunch. Please use the booking details in this website or contact Aubrey Scully directly on 0161 275 8080 or Aubrey.Scully@manchester.ac.uk

Background

Voter turnout, especially at local elections, has fallen dramatically in recent years. Many people are turned off politics? There is declining trust in public institutions. Is this an inevitable decline? Or can we do something about it? This workshop aims to share with you, knowledge, experience, evidence and expertise in this field and show you that we CAN do a lot to get the voters back into the voting booths.

We have the leading expert from the United States of America, Professor Don Green of Yale University, who has run a series of projects aimed at getting people to turn out in greater numbers. He will outline and detail how innovative measures can be successful. Professor Peter John, co-director of IPEG will launch the results from his unique project "Get Out the Vote Campaign" undertaken during the 2005 General Election in the Wythenshawe constituency (Manchester), where the experiment undertaken increased voter turnout by seven percent.

The presentations will give you examples of how to get the vote out. And from the discussion sessions that follow, you will be able to test out your own ideas for increasing turnout with the presenters and facilitators who have direct experience of the Get Out the Vote Campaign.

This event will appeal to councillors, those standing for election, and election officers. It will be facilitated by Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council.

Programme

• 9.00 Registration + tea / coffee
  
  
• 9.30 Welcome and introduction
  
  • Chair: Richard Leese (Leader, Manchester City Council)
    
    
• 9.45 Getting citizens to vote - an American perspective
  
  • Speaker: Professor Don Green (A. Whitney Griswold Professor of Politics, Yale University)
    
    
  • Questions & discussion
    
    
• 10.30 Get out the vote - an innovative experiment in Wythenshawe
  
  • Speaker: Professor Peter John (Co-Director IPEG, University of Manchester)
    
    
  • Questions & discussion
    
    
• 11.00 Break
  
  
• 11.15 Discussion sessions: Sharing experiences & lessons learnt
  
  
  • Session 1:
  • Facilitators: Professor Peter John & Tessa Brannan
    
    
  • Session 2:
  • Facilitators: Professor Don Green & Catherine Durose
    
    
• 12.15 Feedback
  
  
• 12.30 Lunch