People in Sheffield are to get the chance to vote electronically in the forthcoming city council elections in a move designed to combat voter apathy.

Yesterday Sheffield City Council unveiled a new Web site, EvoteSheffield.com which it hopes will persuade young voters to vote online or via text message.

The site is part of an e-voting pilot and also provides information about how people can vote without having to use a traditional ballot box.

Although tailored for a youth audience, e-voting is open to all registered voters in three selected Sheffield City wards.

Andrew Murphy of election.com, one of the site's developers, said: "If young people are going to participate in democracy it is vital that the information they receive is relevant to their lifestyle.

"...EvoteSheffield.com [is] designed to communicate key facts about the voting process in a way young people are used to," he said.

In the 2001 General election only 39 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds voted, raising concerns about voter apathy.

A poll found that four out of ten people didn't vote because they said it was either inconvenient or they didn't have time.

It's hoped that e-voting techniques will tackle this problem and encourage more people to take part in the democratic process. ®