Voter registration closes at midnight on Monday, with youth groups and grassroots organisations racing to encourage young people to sign up. Since the general election was called last month, nearly 1.2 million Britons aged 18 to 35 have registered, including over 200,000 18- to 25-year-olds in the past week alone, according to the Electoral Commission.
Campaigners are using incentives such as trips to Thorpe Park and free ice cream, while influencers like magician Dynamo and former footballer Gary Lineker have urged young people to vote. Grime artists JME and Stormzy have also backed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The NUS has launched its largest voter registration drive, targeting eight constituencies including Norwich, where the student vote could be decisive.
Labour holds a significant lead among young voters, with 57% of 18- to 24-year-olds supporting the party compared to 22% for the Conservatives, according to the latest Guardian/ICM poll. Among students, the gap is even wider at 65% to 16%. However, turnout remains a concern: only around 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in 2015, compared to over 75% of those aged 55 and above.
Students are also exploring tactical voting options, such as swapping ballots with voters in other constituencies or choosing whether to register at their university or home address. Jonathan Hendry, a 21-year-old drama student at the University of East Anglia, said: 'I think young people can make a difference; the danger is that we think it won’t. For me it’s incredibly important to have our say, because we are the ones who will be dealing with the consequences of Brexit.'
