How TV presenter and motorbike racer Guy Martin ignited the debate on whether Brits should vote

Voting in elections is not mandatory in the UK and turnout rates can vary – but don’t expect to find Guy Martin in the queue at your local polling station.

The 44-year-old TV presenter and motorcycle racer told Big Issue’s Adrian Lobb that he doesn’t like to get involved in politics and has never voted in his life.

“I listen to a lot of podcasts. I am always reading,” said Martin. “George Orwell’s 1984 was a massive turning point for me – he who controls the past controls the future, he who controls the present controls the past. And I suppose that’s one of the main reasons I haven’t voted. I’m open to new ideas, to different thinking but I also know there’s a lot of lies and bullshit. So I don’t like to get involved in politics.”

You can join hundreds of thousands of Big Issue readers and read the full interview with Guy Martin here.

Martin’s stance proved divisive with some sharing his preference to avoid casting a vote while others found it an affront to democracy.

“If you don’t vote it’s a slap in the face to all the people who gave their lives to get you the vote or enabled you to keep it,” wrote Tim Hancock on Facebook. 

“That doesn’t remove your right not to vote, just don’t complain about outcomes you don’t like. A lot of votes have quite narrow margins and it’s often the marginals that decide election results, so I think it does matter. 

Antony Collingwood shared similar sentiments, saying: “I’ve always thought voting should be mandatory. Everyone should have to vote. To not vote is an insult to all the people who fought for the right to vote. 

“Even if there were a box to vote for no one if you want, you should still have to do it.”

Voting is mandatory in some parts of the world. For example, not casting a vote in Australia is punishable with a fine, as Big Issue reader Mick Russell pointed out.

It’s not compulsory to vote in the UK but the trade-off is that voter turnouts can be low, particularly when there is dissatisfaction with politics.

The 2024 general election saw the second lowest voter turnout since universal suffrage in 1928 with only 59.9% of people turning out to vote. The last time the turnout was lower was 59.4% in 2001.

Voters across Britain will soon go to the polls. Local elections in England as well as parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales will take place in May.

The turnout for the local elections in England in 2025 was 34%, according to The Electoral Commission.

The Senedd elections in Wales have seen higher voter turnouts in the last decade. Around 41% of voters cast a vote in 2011, rising to 45% in 2016 and 47% in 2021.

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Some reader responses to Martin’s comments shed some light on why.

“Me too. When they make their manifestos a legally binding document rather than a “promise”, then I’ll think about it,”  said Steven Willett.

Phyll Smith added: “Funny; but the government does exist, and will change your circumstances, so while you might not get exactly what’s on your Christmas wish list, you can vote for a general direction of travel.

Meanwhile, Sam Bliss likened voting to the “adult equivalent of writing letters to Santa”. 

Others looked at the wider ramifications of not voting.

Shaun Attmassfear said: “Don’t vote then don’t moan. Not voting is actually a vote towards the party that you wouldn’t want in.”

And Ross Siggers said: “The anti-voters here are just like, ‘I don’t like the system so I’m going to actively make it worse, so I can complain more’. But you’ll call it protesting. Right.”

Do you vote in elections? What do you think about Guy Martin’s decision not to vote? Let us know.

Guy Martin’s Proper Jobs is on Dave at 8pm on Sundays.

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