Most eligible sixth formers now registered to vote

Two thirds of sixth formers in Brighton and Hove have registered to vote after teachers and fellow students staged a first voting drive.

Young people worked with the community charity UK Citizens and its local branch Brighton and Hove Citizens.

They encouraged sixth formers in Brighton and Hove to ensure they could vote before a general election is called at some point this year.

Richard Marsh, an assistant head at Cardinal Newman Catholic School, said that Newman College worked with Varndean College and BHASVIC (Brighton, Hove And Sussex VI Form College) on the project.

It was such a success that the colleges plan to repeat the exercise by embedding the process in their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons.

They want students to understand their right to vote for whichever political party they choose once they turn 18.

Mr Marsh said: “We recognised we had a common issue with students not registering to vote. Irrespective of political views, we thought it was really important that students are registered.

“We decided rather than working separately, we (the colleges) would come together and have a one-day drive across the city where everybody would try to register to vote on that day.

“There was a build up to this as in the week previously we had some PSHE lessons on politics and democracy with explainers about why it is important to vote and how the political system works.”

At the end of each class, teachers asked students to register.

One of the stumbling blocks to registering was the need for students to have their national insurance number, with some needing support to obtain their number, although some did not want to register at all.

Two 17-year-old Newman College students Oliver Chisholm and Otega Hugbo, both members of Brighton and Hove Citizens, were involved with the drive.

Oliver said: “There are a lot of young people who feel a bit anti-government because they’re scared by the way they act, the shouting and people going for one thing and against another – and people feel insecure and (doubt) if their voice means anything.

“The whole point of what we’re doing is saying, if you don’t like what’s in the government at the moment, your vote will change that. But people feel insignificant.”

Otega said: “We’ve had a mix of telling people why they should vote but it’s also their own choice and prerogative.

“Being active in Brighton and Hove Citizens means we’re not just listening to politics on the news, we are going to meetings and negotiations as politics is about making direct changes in your area.”