News releases

Students and young people across Great Britain could miss out on the opportunity to vote in the upcoming general election because they are not registered to vote, the Electoral Commission and National Union of Students have warned.

One in five (22 per cent) students may be missing from the electoral register meaning they will not be able to vote come polling day.

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “An election can be called at any time in the next few weeks. If you’re not registered, then you won’t be able to vote. It is simple and quick to register, so just go to www.aboutmyvote.co.uk now and take a few minutes to secure your vote for the election.”

Wes Streeting, NUS National President said: “In many seats up and down the country the student vote can make a decisive difference. Through our Vote for Students campaign we hope to remind students of the power they hold, and remind candidates of the danger of not taking our votes seriously. Elections have been won and lost on the votes of students before and it could happen again.”

“By registering to vote, you are saying that you care about the decisions that politicians make on your behalf, such as decisions about tuition fees and the economy, which directly affect your life. The more students there are on the electoral register and voting, the harder it is for politicians not to listen to us on issues like these.”

Students can now show their support by uploading the My Vote Counts Twibbon from http://twibbon.com/cause/My-Vote-Counts-2.

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For further information, please contact:

Electoral Commission press office:
press@electoralcommission.org.uk
Office hours: 020 7271 0704
Outside office hours: 07789 920414
National Union of Students press office:

Notes to editors

1. 1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Its aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. It regulates party and election finance, sets standards for well-run elections and encourages people to register to vote. 
2. The 2005 report - Understanding electoral registration - estimated that 22 percent of students were not registered to vote. 
3. Now a new report by the Commission – The completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain – confirms that areas with a high student population are amongst the most likely to have lower levels of electoral registration.  
4. Students can register to vote both at home and at their term time address. For a UK Parliamentary election, students must choose only one of these areas to vote in. 
5. Some students may need to apply for a postal or proxy vote if they are unable to visit a polling station on election day, particularly those studying abroad as part of their course.
6. To register and vote in a UK Parliamentary election, you must be resident in the UK and a:
1. British citizen,
2. Irish citizen, or,
3.  qualifying Commonwealth citizen
7. British citizens living abroad may still register and vote in UK Parliamentary elections if they have been registered at an address in the UK in the last 15 years. For further information, or to download a voting registration form or absent vote application form, visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk .