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Referenda Case

All Student Vote (Spring 2025)

Warwick SU to boost voter turnout

This motion is for the Vice President for Democracy and Development to run a campaign to encourage students to register to vote and this campaign should encourage students to bring a valid form of ID to polling stations. 

This Union Notes: 

  1. The introduction of Individual Voter Registration in 2014/15 means that people are now responsible for registering to vote themselves, and universities can no longer do so (1). 

  1. Less than half of young people voted in the last general election (2). 

  1. Voter ID laws have recently been introduced to the UK. 

 

This Union Believes: 

  1. Warwick SU has a duty to students to allow themselves to be heard, and so therefore should mount campaigns around election periods and in freshers week to get students registered to vote. 

  1. The SU has many avenues available to it to do so, including the hiring of democracy assistants, social media outreach, and a Projects and Campaigns team. 

  1. These have not been fully utilised to promote student voter registration. 

  1. Voter ID laws are likely to deter students from voting 

 

This Union Resolves: 

  1. For the VP Democracy and Development, during Freshers week or in the few weeks after it, to run a campaign encouraging students to register to vote 

  1. Additionally, this campaign should encourage students to bring a valid form of ID to polling stations. 

  1. This campaign is to include information that in local elections students can vote in both their home and university wards, and encouraging students to register for a postal vote at home 

  1. In the run up to local elections, for the same campaign to be run 

In the period before a general election, or in a byelection in the local area (all Coventry seats, Warwick and Leamington, Kenilworth and Southam), for the VP Democracy and Development, to run a much larger campaign, possibly hiring democracy assistants, encouraging students to register to vote. 

  1. This policy replaces previous policy on this issue, namely 138 Student Voter Registration 

  1. For a general election, for the SU to attempt to hold hustings for candidates in both the Coventry South and Warwick and Leamington constituencies. 

 

 

 

 

Sources 

? ? * 1 - https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/buzz/news/public/2015/November-2015/Electoral-Register.aspx 

? ? * 2 -https://89initiative.com/youth-turnout-uk-europe/