Young Britons miss out on voting for better pay

A third of Britons aged 18-24 are not registered to vote and many do not realise that not voting could affect their financial well-being, impact their credit rating and increase their risk of identity fraud.

The problem which arises from young people not registering to vote is that the problems they face might continue to be ignored by politicians. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) recently revealed that young people are getting particularly bad deals on pay and job security.

Their analysis found that first-time voters with full-time jobs are paid around half of the average hourly rate. The median hourly rate for 18-21-year-olds is £7.25 whilst for workers of all ages it is £13.08.

Research also shows that many graduates are struggling to find jobs which utilise their level of qualifications. 34 percent of those who are employed within six months of graduating settling for work in non-professional jobs.

Similarly, young Britons suffer insecurity in employment, with half of zero-hours contract workers being under 30.

TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady said: “If young people remain less likely to vote than older generations, politicians will continue to see them as an easy target for more austerity and will carry on ignoring their problems.”

The TUC explained that if the voting rate for young people (18-34 year-olds) matched that of the older generation (35 and over) then four million votes would be added to the electorate.

This is an average of more than 11,000 votes in each constituency, enough to overturn the current majority in most areas.

As a result, the TUC and Bite the Ballot (campaigning to empower young people to vote) are taking action. They have distributed a Register Your Workplace handbook to union workplace representatives to help them increase the number of young voters.

Workplace events were also held on and around the National Voter Registration Day on February 5 to sign young people on to the electoral register.

Chair of the TUC Young Workers’ Forum, Fern McCaffrey stated: “By registering to vote we can make sure that our jobs and pay, our chance to buy a home, our chance to study without crippling debt, our future – is at the heart of this election.”

Further research from Experian reveals that many Britons do not realise how much not registering to vote can affect them in other areas of life.

Financial institutions, government bodies and other organisations use the electoral roll to help verify people’s identities therefore, registration can be the difference between lenders granting someone credit or not.

53 percent of Britons are unaware that not being registered at their current address could negatively affect their credit rating and 59 percent do not realise that registering could protect them from identity fraud.

Almost one in four Britons say they simply do not see why they should register.

Managing Director of Experian Consumer UK&I, Julie Doleman concluded: “Registering is extremely simple and we encourage everyone to take five minutes to do this to make sure they’re not missing out. You can register online any time at gov.uk/register-to-vote, or though the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland website.”