What's happening?

Local electionsWhen a vote is held to decide who should represent a group of people. are taking place today in 230 of England's 317 councils. But in most local elections, the number of people who actually vote is very low.

That does not mean local elections are not important. Local councils spend huge amounts of money, and run things such as libraries, transport and housing.

But experts think the turnout could be very low. Many may not even know about the local elections - or who they can vote for.

It is also the first time that people in Britain will need identification (ID) to vote, which some fear could stop people from voting.

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Now, some wonder if Britain should make voting compulsoryNot optional. . It is already compulsory in some countries, like Belgium and Australia.

If this happened, many more people would vote and get involved in politics. But critics say it would do nothing to make people care about politics more. Instead, people might tick a name at random.

Yes! If more people voted, we would have a better idea of what the people want. It is an easy way to make sure turnout rises.

No! People should have the choice not to vote. And the big problem is really that people know too little about politics. Forcing them to vote will not change that.