Written evidence submitted by Bite the Ballot (VUK 65)
• Executive summary
• The rate of voter registration and voter turnout of young people is extremely low.
• The move to IER is unlikely to make a material difference to voter registration numbers and previous experience suggests it could actually reduce the number of young people registered to vote.
• Engaging with young people and making registration as easy as possible are essential to increasing the number of young people who are registered to vote.
• One of the simplest and most effective ways to ensure that these two methods are utilised would be to implement a 'Schools Initiative' type scheme in the rest of the UK.
• Introduction
Bite the Ballot ("BtB") is a community interest company, unaffiliated to any political party, which empowers young people to speak up and act, to make their votes and opinions count. Its aim is to inspire young people to be counted and make informed decisions at the ballot box, encouraging them to take power and become the champions that will change the face of British politics.
Please note that BtB's responses are limited to its area of expertise, namely voter registration and turnout amongst young people (aged 16-24). This is not to suggest that there are no other underrepresented groups or that some of the solutions mentioned below would not also benefit such groups.
• What are the main factors that have contributed to low voter turnout in recent UK elections?
• It is clear that one of the biggest contributing factors to low voter turnout in the UK is the very low turnout of young people. Statistics vary, but it is widely accepted that only around half of all young people are registered to vote and, of these, only around half actually voted at the last General Election. This suggests that less than a quarter of all young people are actually voting.
• This problem also appears to be getting worse. The Hansard Society suggests that youth turnout may be as low as 12% at the next General Election.
• As to why young people do not vote, BtB's experience shows that:
• they are not made aware of the link between their lives and politics, and many are oblivious to the existing channels of communication that enable them to voice their opinions;
• they are not taught about 'the basics' of politics, and the relationships between the issues they care about and the decision-making processes that determine them;
• politics is unrepresentative, elitist, 'out of touch', untrustworthy and irrelevant to their lives;
• democratic institutions appear to have nothing to offer them and don't care about their concerns and ideas; and
• there is a lack of effective ways to access, communicate and engage with decision-makers.
• What are the main factors that affect voter registration?
• There are three main factors affecting voter registration of young people. Firstly, many young people feel disengaged with politics, as discussed above. Secondly, very few young people are aware of the need to register before they can vote or of how to register. Thirdly, the registration process is cumbersome, complicated and paper-based – young people react more positively to administrative processes that are simple, quick and online.
• BtB also recognises the effect that the move to Individual Electoral Registration ("IER") will have. The danger with this system is that the transition, by the Electoral Commission's own admission, will see voters who are currently registered fall off the register. The experience in Northern Ireland suggests that this 'fall-off' will disproportionately affect young people. Dealing with this transition is as important as dealing with the three issues highlighted in the preceding paragraph.
• To what extent does the public’s perception of MPs, Parliament, the Government and events such as Prime Minister’s questions affect voter registration and turnout?
• BtB's experience suggests that young people have such a low opinion of politics and politicians that they have no real interest in developing even a basic understanding of the UK's political systems. It is clear that this perception makes young people disinclined to register to vote - and vote.
• It is also noteworthy that there are very few young positive role models in Parliament – and even fewer in Government. Although many MPs visit schools and colleges in their constituencies, few appear prepared to engage attainers as 'soon-to-be voters', as opposed to school pupils. BtB was pleased by the enthusiasm shown for National Voter Registration Day ("NVRD") by certain MPs but all MPs can, and should, do more to encourage young constituents to register to vote.
• What role do the media play in this context?
• As far as young people are concerned, there is a distinct lack of relatable and relevant media content about politics, mostly due to ineffective methods of communication and the absence of engaging material which relates issues that young people are concerned about to politics. The mistrust of mainstream media fuels the disengagement and mistrust felt by young people.
• BtB is filling this gap by creating direct channels of communication with its target audience, bringing them fresh, exciting and digestible issue-based content. BtB's ability to reach over 10 million people online on NVRD highlights how increased digital engagement could directly affect registration and voting rates.
• What socioeconomic factors affect registration and turnout and what, if anything, can we learn from this about how to improve voter registration and turnout?
• Although a variety of socioeconomic factors affect voter registration and turnout, the focus for BtB is age – nearly 96% of those aged 65+ are registered to vote, while only around half of young people are. As noted above, the figures further suggest that only around half of young people who are registered to vote actually voted in the last General Election. This suggests that less than a quarter of all young people are actually voting.
• BtB believes that this statistic clearly demonstrates that the current approach to getting young people to register and to vote is not working at all and that a significant change is needed in how Electoral Registration Officers ("EROs") approach the registration of young people.
• What are the costs to society of low voter registration and turnout?
• The costs to society of low voter registration and turnout among young people are large. There is an obvious democratic cost – with only around a quarter of young people actually voting, a large proportion of the population has no voice in elections. This, in turn, has a real impact on the younger members of our society as politicians are aware that they don’t vote and so target their policies at those in society who vote in large numbers instead.
• As well as negatively impacting on the lives of many young people now, this consequence also breeds resentment and disengagement amongst young people towards politics, further reducing voter registration and turnout. If this spiral continues, it is likely that voter turnout in the future will be significantly down across all ages as today's young people become pensioners but still do not vote.
• There is arguably also a cost to society in not having a complete electoral register. The electoral register is used for credit checks that help prevent fraud: the more complete the register is, the fewer opportunities for fraud. Similarly, a more complete and accurate electoral register is one of the best protections against electoral fraud.
• What are the principal ways in which voter registration and turnout could be improved?
• There are only two ways in which voter registration and turnout can be improved amongst young people – by ensuring young people are engaged with the democratic process and by making it as easy as possible for young people to be registered to vote and to vote on the day.
• In relation to engaging young people in the democratic process, BtB has developed 'The Basics', complete with online resources featuring celebrities, which has proven to be incredibly effective at getting young people engaged. BtB's experience has shown that it is essential to get young people engaged with voting before asking them if they would like to register.
• Unfortunately, BtB is not a large enough organisation to visit every school in the UK. However, there is no reason why the Government should not require every ERO to visit every school in his or her area of responsibility to engage with, and register, young people. This could easily be part of a 'Schools Initiative'-type scheme (see below). In addition, the materials created by BtB which have been so successful are freely available on the Internet and BtB actively encourages EROs to make use of them.
• In relation to ease of registration/voting, BtB welcomes the Government's decision to introduce online registration and also supports the recent suggestion from the Electoral Commission that online voting should be introduced. Both of these options would make it easier for young people (and many other people) to register and to vote.
• However, BtB believes that the Government could go much further than this to make registration easier. BtB would like to see the Government introduce a system by which any interaction with a government body, where a person provides that body with personal information, results in an option for that person's information to be passed on to the relevant ERO for addition to the electoral register.
• In terms of online interaction with government bodies, BtB has been told that it would take very little to add a 'tick-box' to online forms that would then send the relevant information to the ERO. BtB would particularly encourage the Government to add such options to the online forms for National Insurance number, passport and driving licence applications – these are documents that almost every person in the country has and, most importantly, they are documents that young people often receive as they approach voting age.
• BtB also believes that allowing same-day registration would improve voter turnout (see below).
• What lessons can be learnt from other countries where voter registration and turnout is higher?
• Without even leaving the UK, there are lessons to be learned. In Northern Ireland, the 'Schools Initiative' has been an unmitigated success, increasing the number of young people registered significantly. It is also notable that this scheme was introduced to combat the ever falling numbers of young people registered to vote after IER was introduced in Northern Ireland.
• The 'Schools Initiative' is based on two pillars – firstly, the power of the ERO to request information from schools (and other public bodies); and secondly, the visits by the ERO to schools (and similar institutions) to engage young people in the democratic process. Graham Shields, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland, has indicated to BtB that both of these pillars are integral to the program's success.
• BtB has discussed the 'Schools Initiative' with a number of bodies, including key stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission, and has found broad support for such a solution. The data sharing has helped register many more young people in Northern Ireland and placing a requirement on EROs to go into schools to engage young people in voting and registration is integral to any attempt to get more young people registered.
• BtB has advocated to the Government that this scheme should be extended to the rest of the UK, and urges the Select Committee to do the same. With the move to IER and the General Election on the horizon, the introduction of a 'Schools Initiative' type scheme could make all the difference to voter registration and turnout.
• Furthermore, BtB notes that there are currently draft regulations which are awaiting approval by Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments which are also made under the Representation of the People Act 1983. These draft regulations could provide a vehicle for a speedy implementation of a 'Schools Initiative' scheme in the rest of the UK, negating the need for a further set of Regulations to be laid before Parliament.
• To what extent could electoral reform, rebuilding political parties or changes to party funding improve public engagement and voter turnout?
• Although BtB does not disregard these factors for improving public engagement and voter turnout, BtB's focus is concentrated on electoral reform. In particular, whilst BtB welcomes the implementation of IER, it will not improve youth registration levels and may well reduce the number of young people registered. The only way to prevent this is to have legislative change, such as introducing a 'Schools Initiative' type scheme in the rest of the UK.
• In what ways could new technologies be used to encourage people to vote?
• New technologies have the potential to completely revolutionise the UK's democracy, from initial engagement to casting votes. Technology may be used to better direct canvassing, particularly among first-time voters. A simple smart 'phone app could be developed for candidates, parties, pressure groups and other political organisations to target both registered and unregistered voters. These types of technologies were used to great effect in the 2012 USA presidential election, for example.
• Social media will also continue to play an important role in voter engagement. From celebrities to parties' candidates, the direct engagement with those who are least likely to vote, via sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, offers a unique and exciting way to engage young people. It is essential that in our 'digital by default' democracy, electoral reform is not left behind.
• What would be the advantages and disadvantages of allowing voters to register on the day of an election?
• BtB acknowledges that same day registration would likely improve the turnout of young people on the day of an election. However, BtB does not think that it is the most effective way to tackle the issues relating to young people, as discussed above. Instead, BtB sees the introduction of a 'Schools Initiative' as avoiding the problem of a young person who is not registered, whilst same-day registration seeks only to limit, and not necessarily eradicate, the problem.
• How can arrangements for British citizens living abroad to register for and vote in elections in the UK be improved?
• BtB has no opinion to offer on this question.