Young Shropshire voters urged to get “READY”

People aged under 24 are being encouraged to complete a survey to help Shropshire Council find out why only half of young people are registered to vote. 

The READY Voters project (which stands for Reaching, Engaging and Developing Young Voters) has been launched to encourage more young people to register to vote in elections. 

As part of the project, a survey has been produced to ask young people for their views about voting and the democratic process. 

The aim of the READY Voters project is to encourage people who are of voting age, or those coming up to 18, to register to vote.  By dispelling any myths or preconceptions, young people are not only more educated, but are engaged in the democratic process, enabling them to take part and have a say in their future. 

Richard James of Shropshire Council’s elections team, who has developed the project, said:

“We would love to hear from everyone aged from 15 to 24 within the Shropshire area; even people as young as 15 because they are reaching attainer age.  Attainers are those aged from 16 to 17 who are not old enough to vote but who can still register to vote. 

“We are focusing on this group because they have the lowest turnout and engagement numbers, and as a result are being under-represented.  We hope that connecting with young people in democratic engagement before the age of 18 will lead to more people registering.” 

Claire Porter, electoral registrations officer, added:

“The number of people voting in local and national elections has been falling so it’s really important that young people are encouraged to register to make sure they don’t miss their chance to vote.  This project is a great initiative to find out more about why young people might be disengaged, and what we can do to make registering more appealing to them.  I would urge as many people as possible to get involved.” 

The survey can be accessed at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ReadyVoters.