Young People Shut Out Of Voting JAN 2015 Tuesday 6TH Changes to the electoral system mean that left-leaning voters are most likely to find themselves excluded from the register, writes DEREK WALL IT’S been said that if voting changed anything they would make it illegal. And the present government has certainly made it less likely that young people will vote. This could be the most important general election in a generation — a victory for the coalition would be a disaster. Most informed commentators believe that a second Cameron-Clegg term would kill the NHS and already benefits cuts and sanctions are killing some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society. The electoral rise of Ukip is driving British politics in an increasingly bitter and racist direction. Young people could hold the key to who wins and the direction our society takes — backward-looking and mean or positively moving towards diversity, compassion and social justice. The BBC notes that the youth vote could decide the election result and swing marginal constitutencies away from the Tories. A recent poll has also indicated that young people could halt the rise of Ukip. Eighteen to 25-year-olds are six times more likely to vote for the Green Party than Nigel Farage’s party, according to a recent survey. As many as 200 seats could change hands because of the youth vote. Does this worry David Cameron or Farage? Well, the answer at present is a resounding No, simply because fewer young people are likely to vote on May 7 than at any other election in recent years. Globally, right-wing governments have been changing the voting rules so that young people, poorer people, minorities, in fact just about any social demographic that is likely to lean left, are less likely to vote. There is an international campaign to make it less likely that citizens will take part in elections and, yes, our government has joined in. Due to a change in electoral law, millions of young people have disappeared from the electoral register. Traditionally the electoral register has been based on households. A form would be sent to each household asking how many people living there are British citizens of voting age. This led to some abuse. There was potential for a head of household to exclude some individuals or to commit other forms of electoral fraud. Since June last year, registration is individual, so each potential voter is responsible for making sure they are registered. Most existing voters have been simply included in the new electoral register, however, young people are not automatically included. Students are no longer registered by their colleges, so are most likely to be missed off the register. The number of students registered to vote in some cities in Britain has fallen by 60 per cent. Young people who move more frequently and often live in rented accommodation are more likely to be unregistered than other age groups. If a voter is not on the electoral register they are excluded from voting in the general and other elections. We might — I think wrongly — blame reduced participation on young people being apathetic or overly willing to heed Russell Brand’s rejection of the voting system. But if voters are unable to vote because of a change in the rules this is going to be a contributing factor to low turnouts. At present 96 per cent of older people are registered to vote but only 50 per cent of young voters are registered. Of course some older voters are likely to be disenfranchised by changes to electoral law. Equally some of us who are a little old vote for the left — I am contemplating the big 50 in 2015 and always, of course, vote for the Green Party. However young voters are generally more radical and, given the rise in tuition fees, youth unemployment and attacks on their welfare, often want change. The present government has, with a simple change, reduced the likelihood of millions of 18 to 25-year-olds being registered to vote, and this will inevitably make it much easier for Cameron to win a second term and for more Ukip MPs to be elected. The consequences, particularly for young people, will be dire. In Canada the so-called “Fair voting” Bill, introduced last year, means that electoral services are restricted in the advice they give on finding out how to vote. Along with other innovations this will reduce voting. In the US, members of the Republican Party are obssessively trying to make it more difficult to vote. In some states voters need to take two pieces of ID to vote. An extreme example is Kansas, where registration is now so tough that 20 per cent of voter applications are rejected. The US civil rights movement in the 1960s campaigned against disenfranchisement, where electoral rules ostensibly to prevent voting fraud were in fact used to prevent many African-Americans from voting. In Britain failure to publicise changes in electoral law is the main reason why young people who wish to vote will be prevented from doing so. If the government had launched a strong campaign to let young people know about changes in the voting rules, disenfranchisement could have been avoided. But there have been no TV or internet adverts explaining the rule change. Attempts to let people know about it have been so modest, it’s almost as if Cameron wanted fewer people to vote. I feel all of us on the left need to support a drive for voter registration. Outrage at our present government is not enough — precise action is required. With our political parties, youth groups and trade unions we should go door to door and set up stalls, letting potential voters know how to get registered. Once one actually knows about it the process isn’t too difficult, but if you don’t know, you don’t get to take part in the general election. This election will be about not just who voters want to vote for but, perhaps for the first time, whether potential voters actually get to vote. We must rise to this challenge and work tirelessly to make sure all of us who wish to vote are able to do so. Derek Wall is international co-ordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales. morningstaronline.co.uk/a-ab95-Young-people-shut-out-of-voting#.VK4GdNKsUgi
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:32:45 +0000
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