Petition Scrap the £500 deposit to run for parliament

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.

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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'.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

336 signatures

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10,000

Date closed 21 December 2018
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