Free advice being offered to young people around Leicestershire on how to vote

Emma Broomhead handing out registration forms by The DMU Student Union

By Jake Piercy

Young people across Leicester are being encouraged to register to vote as soon as possible by the Leicestershire Citizens Advice Bureau.

The group has been targeting students and young people in particular due to their contribution to the vast numbers of no-voters in previous elections, which is shown by the 16 million people in the UK who did not vote in the 2010 general election.

Emma Broomhead, talking on behalf of the organisation, said: “Young people have the lowest participation rates of any age group in the UK, and we are absolutely desperate to try and help those people register to vote and have a clear idea of who they want to vote for.”

Due to changes in the way citizens are registered to vote, each individual must personally register either online or with a registration form, meaning figures for no-voters are expected to rise even further.

With the deadline to register to vote falling on Monday April 20, the Leicestershire CAB has been handing out registration forms around De Montfort University and providing impartial advice on how to vote before the general election on Thursday May 7.

Emma continued: “We are also trying to help and encourage women and people from lower social classes to vote because there is a big gap in the figures – in 2010, 1.5 million fewer women registered to vote than men, and working class people also have a history of lower turnout rates.”

Once you have registered to vote, the locations of your nearest polling stations and detailed on your polling card, as polling stations are assigned to different postcodes, so you will be told where the nearest polling stations are to your home.

The organisation has been formed over the last five years by advice bureaux across Leicestershire merging together, and is a free and confidential service that offers advice and campaigning for better policies.