Why is it so important that young people vote?
Young people are under-represented in our democracy. If we don’t speak up and let the politicians know that we have a voice, they will continue to overlook us. In 2010, only one quarter of 18-24 year olds voted and since then tuition fees have tripled, youth services have been cut and EMA has been taken away. It is totally understandable that young people feel frustrated with politics, but the best way to express those opinions is to register and to vote, even if that is for ‘None of the above’.
Young people get a lot of stick for being apathetic in regards to politics. Do you think this group don’t vote because they just don’t know enough about who to vote for?
It is definitely part of the reason that young people switch off from politics. It can be really difficult to match the issues we care about with the current political parties. That's why Bite The Ballot created Verto. It’s really important to remember that as a generation, young people hold a lot of power – we have technology at our fingertips and can seek out information about parties and candidates that will help us to decide who - if anyone - to vote for.
Can you explain to us how the campaign is going to work?
Bite The Ballot is a youth democracy movement that aims to register every young person in the country. In the run up to the general election we have been working with communities all across the UK, running our voter registration workshops 'The Basics' and events in sixth forms, colleges, universities and community groups. At the moment, we’re focussing on organising Democracy Cafes and making plans for DeDay, our final push to get young voters registered before the deadline on Monday 20 April.
Tell us about the Democracy Cafes. What are they and how will they help?
Our DeCafe events are intended to revive the role that coffee shops once played in sparking public debate. They are taking place in Starbucks coffee shops across the UK as part of a series of events coordinated by BTB and our partners. The DeCafes will provide a safe environment for young people to meet, debate the issues they care about and decide how to use their vote on 7 May 2015.
What is Verto?
Verto is Bite The Ballot’s new online voter advice tool, designed so the UK’s 5.6 million potential young voters can match their views and values against those of the political parties. It is simple, accessible, fast, intuitive and uses swipe technology to help users easily navigate through a series of statements relating to different policy areas. By encouraging young people to find out who best represents their views, we hope to inspire increased voter registration and turnout amongst 18-24 year olds who will be able to make informed decisions on polling day. To play Verto, simply type ‘Verto.vote’ into your web browser or visit the BTB website.
I don’t remember receiving any education during my time at school about how to vote or how to register to vote. Do you think this is something schools need to build on?
Absolutely. I think better political education in schools is vital if we want to create a generation of well-informed, active citizens. Democratic engagement is a really important part of citizenship – the more young people who grow up being encouraged to vote and participate, the more representative and responsive our democracy will become.
Is education in schools something the campaign will tackle?
Yes, this is definitely going to be a focus of the campaign over the next five years. We are already scheduled to have a presence at the NUT conference in June of this year and we will work with teacher’s unions and the government to continue to reform citizenship education into the future.
How can people get involved in the campaign?
We always love to hear from people with an interest in our work. You can visit our website, tweet us @bitetheballot, visit our facebook page or email us at [email protected] to find out more. If you are looking to get more involved in the engagement and registration of young voters, you can even volunteer as a Bite The Ballot Ambassador by dropping us an email.
But, of course, the best and easiest way to support us is to make sure that you are registered to vote before 20 April.
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