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The collapse of Ukip has reinforced Conservative dominance. No wonder they love the current voting system, writes one reader. Photograph: Robert Perry/EPA

Your map (Council control, 6 May) sums up very neatly the basic problem with politics in Britain today.

Contrast the position in Scotland with that in England. North of the border, apart from the islands, where independents dominate, no party has overall control in a single council. Thanks to a sensible voting system for Scottish council elections, all parties are fairly represented and have to work together. In England, the limitations of first-past-the-post are clearly demonstrated by vast areas of one-party control. Yet in very few cases does that party represent more than half of those who voted.

The collapse of Ukip has reinforced Conservative dominance. No wonder the Tories love the current voting system. Nothing is going to change until the Labour party remembers what democracy is really all about and realises that it needs PR just as much as the other, smaller parties. Richard Carden Denton, Norfolk

Though Polly Toynbee offers cogent observations on the vagaries of voting, her prescription runs into an obvious objection encountered (and dodged) by all arguments for compulsory voting (Opinion, 4 May). Compulsion denies the individual freedom of choice, a denial that is at the very least paradoxical, given the democratic principles it seeks to preserve. A much better way to address the democratic crisis of a declining vote would be the inclusion on the ballot paper of a formal option to abstain.Spoiling the ballot paper simply confuses the interpretation of results and robs the individual of the opportunity to register an explicit rejection of the choices on offer. It also inducts the young into making the kind of cheap compromise with unsatisfactory processes that they already find meaningless, if not farcical.

Until proportional representation is taken seriously, formal abstention would at least be advantageous. As abstentions are likely massively to outweigh the number of spoiled papers, politicians would have to take seriously the sheer quantity of voters wholesale rejection of them. It would also provide a much better premise for compelling individuals to surrender their right to ignore a process so evidently rotten and derelict. Paul McGilchrist Colchester, Essex

Forget the polls last weeks elections provided a real-time update of the state of British politics, just five weeks before a general election. For the parties, it was illuminating: the Conservative vote grew, Labour made losses, the Liberal Democrats flatlined and Ukip looks finished.

But if there was one loser, it was democracy. Less than 28% of the electorate turned out to vote in the mayoral elections. In Tees Valley, Conservative Ben Houchen won with just 21% of people turning out. We are still awaiting the final turnout figures for the council elections, but they are unlikely to paint a better picture. Predictions are currently at about 33%.

With turnouts like this, it is laughable for politicians to proclaim that Britain is the home of democracy. Our democracy is on life-support, and action needs to be taken.

There is no simple solution, but we must consider all the options including how to harness the benefits of technology by integrating it into our democratic process. Unveiling the governments Transformation Strategy this year, Ben Gummer, minister for the Cabinet Office, promised to use digital to transform the relationship between the citizen and the state. Reforming the democratic process should play a central part of this. Areeq Chowdhury Chief executive, WebRoots Democracy

Why is no mention made in your front-page report (6 May) of the fact that 40 Green party councillors were elected, including several net gains? I looked in vain for this information in your table headed Councillor net gains. Presumably it was hidden under other. Chris Gooch Teddington, Middlesex

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Local elections point up UK's democratic crisis - The Guardian