OPINION - Young Stopfordian argues why young people should vote

By Johnathan Cowden

26th Jun 2024 | General Election 2024

According to figures from the British Election Study, the turnout for people aged over 75 at the last general election in 2019 was almost double the turnout for people aged 18-24.

According to a survey by the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the main reasons for young people not voting include the belief that it wouldn't make any difference (31%), not knowing enough about the parties (30%) or that parties couldn't be trusted to keep their promises (30%).

To address the first point, it's a common myth that voting doesn't make any difference, but it's one that has been disproven. In 1910, Henry Duke, MP for Exeter, won the seat by only one vote.

In the Stockport Constituency, there are 5,934 people aged between 18-24. In Hazel Grove, there are 4,613. In Cheadle, there are 5,412. Those numbers have the potential to swing the results in each constituency.

Voter turnout by age at the last three general elections in the UK (Image – https://www.britishelectionstudy.com/bes-findings/age-and-voting-behaviour-at-the-2019-general-

election/)

If you feel that you don't know enough about each party, leaflets and manifestos can be found online for each candidate in your constituency, and debates are often held on TV that can also be accessed online.

And if you feel that parties can't be trusted to keep their promises, it's possible to vote 'none of the above'. It's called 'spoiling your ballot' and involves writing anything on the ballot paper that isn't an 'X' next to one of the candidates.

This may seem like a waste of time, but is counted as a separate category than just not voting, and shows dissatisfaction with any of the candidates, meaning they will try harder to win your vote, now that they know you're interested in politics.

There is no reason to not vote. The general election is on the 4th of July and is your chance to have your say in how the UK should be run. Please don't waste it.

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