How To Vote At A General Election

Duration 60sec
Release Date 1970
Sponsor Central Office of Information
Text version of this film

As the cut-glass voice instructs, in the true spirit of Public Information Films, “Your vote is your business…”

This short explains voting and encourages participation at General Election - an important message in 1970 as many more teenagers were voting for the first time.

From 1955 to 1997 the percentage of voters turning out for General Elections fluctuated between 78.8 and 71.3 per cent. Yet this film is significant as it was released after the voting age qualification had been lowered from 21 to 18 years in time for the 1970 General Election.

In June 1970 Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson called a General Election, ahead of introducing decimalisation in January 1971. Despite not needing to go to the country until April 1971, Wilson’s decision to hold an early election in the summer was seen as controversial, not least because it was in the middle of the World Cup Finals in Mexico.

As defending champions with arguably a stronger squad than 1966, England widely tipped to get to the final. Unfortunately it was not to be. Prior to the quarterfinal encounter with West Germany, England’s first choice goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, was taken ill and replaced by Peter Bonetti. After leading 2-0, Bonetti conceded two soft goals, and West Germany came back to win 3-2 dumping England out of the World Cup. Three days later Labour unexpectedly lost the election, and Edward Heath’s Conservative Party formed a Government.

The turnout for the ballot was just under 72 per cent, despite efforts to energise voters with “How to vote…” One explanation for the surprise Labour defeat and the lowest turnout since 1935 was England’s defeat punching a hole in the feel-good factor. In fact, one former Labour Cabinet Minister at the time attributed the election defeat to "the bug in Gordon Banks' tummy".

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