Today the Students’ Union can exclusively reveal that only 32 students are registered to vote in the new Peel Park Quarter residences out of almost 1,400 students.
In 2014 the way we register to vote changed, meaning that everyone had to register individually. Previously universities were able to automatically register everyone living in university accommodation when they first arrived. This has led to an estimated 800,000 people, a large proportion of which are likely to be students, falling off the electoral register.
This week is National Voter Registration week, and the Students’ Union is launching a voter registration drive to encourage as many students, particularly those in Peel Park, to register to vote. Our staff and students will be out and about knocking on doors in halls and getting students registered.
This May Salford is holding elections for the local council as well as holding the second ever election for Salford’s Mayor. The current Mayor (Ian Stewart) is standing down, and a new person will take up the post. As well as this there is speculation that the referendum on the UK’s memberships of the European Union could be held as early as June.
Registering to vote is simple and takes only 5 minutes. Simply head to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and fill in the quick online form. Alternatively if you live in halls you can fill in one of the paper forms our staff will be giving out and simply return it to the Info Point at the Students’ Union.
There are many reasons to register, here are just a few:
You can use you influence: In order to have your say you need to register, If you think no one deserves your vote, you can go to the polling station and spoil your ballot paper
Importantly for students you can register to vote at BOTH your term time and home address. Don’t forget international students also get a vote in local elections so if you’re an EU citizen or from certain commonwealth countries you can also register.