Government urges all colleges and universities to do ‘everything they can’ to get students to register to vote

Jo Johnson says young people will be some of the 'hardest hit' if the nation votes to leave the union

(Getty Images)

The Government has issued every college and university across the UK with a letter, urging them to get their students on the electoral register before the EU referendum.

Writing to the head of each institution, Universities Minister, Jo Johnson, described how, on 23 June, every British citizen of voting age will decide whether to remain in the EU or leave, saying it will be “one of the biggest decisions of their lives.”

He wrote: “Your students have bright futures ahead of them, and they should have their say in this crucial decision. I want all of those in the higher education community to do everything we can to encourage those eligible to register to vote.”

Mr Johnson described how young people will be some of the “hardest hit” if the nation votes to break away from the 43-year-old union, from the places they’ll be able to study to the job prospects they’ll face in the future.

He said: “Now is the time to stand up and be counted. That is why I have written to all university vice chancellors urging them to get the message out to their students: register to vote, it’s easy to do online, and will ensure you can have your say in this once-in-a-generation vote.”

Mr Johnson’s appeal to young people has come shortly after fears of growing disillusionment emerged among young adults when research for the Electoral Reform Society suggested as many as 800,000 young adults had never registered.

The letter has also come just months after the House of Commons blocked a move by the House of Lords to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the referendum. MPs voted 303 to 253 to reject an amendment that would lower the voting age from 18.

At a recent debate in Leeds on whether British politics is benefiting young people today or not, almost 100 per cent of the student audience voted to see the UK remain in the EU.

Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollinrake, and Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, went head-to-head on the topic of 16 and 17-year-old being able to vote on the future of the UK when an audience member said she found it “completely disparaging and patronising” that the age group could not vote.

She asked: “Is exclusivity something to be proud of? Because it is exclusive, and it’s not fair.”

Mr Hollinrake said it was “the wrong time to change the rules on voting,” adding: “I think the age of consent is all over the place: you can go to war at 16, you can’t drink until you’re 18, and you can’t vote until you’re 18. We need to have a common position on it, but the status quo - where we are at the moment - is that it’s 18 to vote.”

Ms Bennett, though, challenged the Tory politician, and hit back: “The referendum is the point where you’re making irrevocable decisions, effective for decades. If there’s one case where there is an overwhelming argument for the long-term future, this is it.

“A General Election lasts for, at most, five years. The referendum and EU decision is potentially irrevocable, and that’s exactly where it would be a great place to start with votes at 16.”

Registering to vote can be done on gov.uk in just a few minutes. Those signing up will need to provide their National Insurance number, date of birth, and address.

To vote in the EU referendum, register to vote by midnight 7 June 2016. If unable to vote in person on the day, apply online for a postal vote. Students can also register at the address where they will be living on 23 June if this is different to their term time address.