Generation Vote

It wasn’t just politicians who were taken by surprise by the Prime Minister’s decision to hold a General Election on 8 June but also university Communication teams.

While the various political parties ran around writing manifesto’s, usually years in the drafting in a matter of weeks, Communication teams had to make quick decisions around priorities.

Manifesto’s were issued by our sector organisations including Universities UK and Million Plus all with hugely important priorities including ensuring funding for research, bringing back maintenance grants and getting a good post-Brexit settlement for universities.

At Bedfordshire we’ve been playing our part by looking at how to mobilise the student vote. The first step is getting students to register to vote, then it’s getting them to use that vote.

For me going to university was a time of protest and campaigning and it was when I was at my most political.

A student of the 80s I went on rent strike, boycotted banks that refused to condemn the apartheid, and went to concerts that wanted to ‘Free Nelson Mandela’. Even my first date with by future husband was on an anti-National Front march.

But times have changed and today many students are fed up with politics and disillusioned with our voting system.

They feel marginalised and don’t see voting as a driver for change, so they don’t vote. But as they don’t vote, they are ignored by politicians which leads to their views being ignore; it’s a vicious circle.

Why is a problem for university communication teams? Well part of our role as a university is to ensure we are preparing our students to take their place in the world as informed and engaged citizens.  

While our Students’ Union have been sending out emails to encourage voter registration we have being using social media and our digital screens to ensure our students know the deadline (it’s the 22 May if you’re interested) and realise how easy it is to register to vote.

Also because the election falls right in the middle of exams and students might not know where they’ll be; we’re giving them information on applying for a postal vote.

We are also hosting a Hustings with Uprising a UK-wide youth leadership development organisation at our Luton Campus. The local General Election candidates for Luton South will be there and it will be an opportunity for our students to cross-examine the candidates and share their hopes and aspirations for the future.

Press wise it’s a crowded marketplace for getting the University in the press around this subject; but fortunately we do have a Vice Chancellor who’s passionate about politics and youth participation. We managed to place an article in our leading sector magazine Times Higher Education on the importance of encouraging students to vote and have secured a blog in a student facing publication around youth participation.

All in all it’s a busy time and it’s work we hadn’t planned for. But the chances are there may not be another General Election for five years and giving students a voice is something we all believe in.

#YourVoteYourVoice #GenerationVote #GeneralElection2017 #getthevoteout