POLLING day could become a national holiday as part of a number of ideas proposed by MPs to boost turnout to national elections.

The House of Commons’ political and constitutional reform committee said that making election days a bank holiday could help boost interest and engagement in national politics and restore faith in the electoral system. Other ideas also included automatic registration for voting and trials of online and telephone voting.

The proposals have been welcomed by both Swindon MPs, who were both involved in the political scene in Swindon when online and telephone was trailed in 2007.

Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, said: “I am always interested in looking at new ways to help increase turnout. Online voting was tried in Swindon local elections back in 2007 but it did not increase turnout. Turnout in Swindon at the last general election actually rose, so it is wrong to assume that the trends are automatically downward. When it comes to registration and voting, there is a need to balance convenience with security of identity for everyone. In a nutshell, there is no silver bullet. Hard work by candidates and the sense that an election will be a real contest are the best ways to increase turnout.”

The proposed changes are in response to concerns of public disillusionment with national politics and a decline in turnout, with some 16 million voters choosing not to participate in the last general election.

But Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, has said that although new methods of voting may help increase turnout politicians needed to work harder to gain the trust of the public.

He said: “I have always been a big supporter of trying out new things but, and its a big but, the people who are putting themselves out for election need to do a lot, lot more to win the public vote.

“I’m not just talking about me or my opponent.It’s about the majority of politicians, they have to do more to win the trust of voters..”