Commentary: the Police and Crime Commissioner elections

What is to be made of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections held in November 2012? One immediate response would be that these elections have proved to be truly baffling for much of the electorate. It is evident that many potential electors did not feel sufficiently knowledgeable about the candidates to attempt to make any judgment concerning them. This must explain, in part, the abysmal electoral turnout, which achieved the questionable distinction of recording the lowest ever turnout in a national poll. A number of the PCC candidates were elected by only 7% of those eligible to vote, with an average turnout of 15%, falling to just over 11% within some force areas (Whitehead & Evans, 2012).