A Youth Parliament member has urged people to register to vote as part of a week-long campaign to increase voter numbers.
Youngsters, renters, black, Asian and ethnic minorities from across Redbridge and the rest of London are being called on to get their voices heard and register to exercise their right.
Faizan Ahmed, the Youth Parliament member for Redbridge, said: “When it comes to voting, it is important that young people aged 16 register to vote.
“The voice of young people is a powerful voice that must be listened to, as it is always an essential tool of how London will thrive in the generations to come, and it always has.”
About seven per cent of people eligible to vote were not registered to do so in the borough in 2017, according to a 2019 Cabinet Office report.
This week’s push seeks to improve voter numbers among groups identified as being under-represented in the campaign backed by City Hall and the political literacy organisation Shout Out UK.
TV host, Aaron Roach Bridgeman, who supports Shout Out UK, said: “Register and be heard. You are the future, so it’s your right to be part of shaping it.”
London has one of the lowest voter registration rates in the UK, according to the Cabinet Office.
One in three young Londoners are not registered to vote, a 2019 study by the Greater London Authority shows.
A total of 83pc of Londoners from a black ethnic background are registered, compared to 94pc of eligible white British Londoners.
In total, 85pc of social renters and 86pc of private renters are registered to vote, compared to 93pc of homeowners.
Among its benefits, registering to vote can impact people’s credit rating and ensure juries are diverse.
Matteo Bergamini, who founded Shout Out UK when he was 22, said: “As a Londoner, the pride I have in my city is in the diverse voices we have.
“So we at Shout Out UK couldn’t be more excited to be the delivery partner for the Greater London Authority’s London Voter Registration Week 2020.”
The week is being run with the help of the London Voter Registration Strategic Partnership which is made up of statutory bodies including the Electoral Commission and civil society organisations from across the capital.
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