Politicians will keep ignoring the young until we register to vote

Joshi Herrmann A QUESTION for young readers: when was the last time you heard a politician propose something that made you think: “Yep, I really like the sound of that, where do I sign?”

I’m 26 and it happens to me rarely, even though I work in the media and end up reading most of the policy proposals, fake proposals and let’s-fly-this-kite proposals that politicians make. The idea it would happen often is laughable.

That’s not true for every age group, though. As a rule, politicians only risk proposing things that they think large numbers of voters will like. And in this election campaign, other groups are hearing good stuff a lot more often than we under-30s are.

Take this month: we’ve had a Budget whose headline £1,000 tax-free interest allowance for savers only accrues to people with £30,000 or so in the bank. We’ve heard strong suggestions that a Tory government would cut inheritance tax. We’ve seen a pledge card from Labour that didn’t even mention the enormous house-building programme that the party admits is needed.

The Budget did r ai s e the pay of apprentices, and it pledged to top up the deposits of first-time-buyers impossibly lucky enough have the other £61,000 needed to reach the average London first-time deposit. But (older) people with money in the bank comprehensively won the day.

Why? Because they vote. Older people and richer people are much more likely than younger and poorer people to vote, and the gap has widened dramatically. In 1970, turnout among the over-65s was already 18 points higher than among voters aged 18-24 — and that gap has more than doubled since then. S i mi l a r l y, the turnout gap between the poorest voters and richest voters has widened from four points in 1987 to 23 points in 2010.

Registration levels for this election are strikingly low among younger voters, particularly London’s transient young. According to a recent report, almost half of those turning 18 just in time for this election are not registered; that figure is about 30 per cent among all 18- to 24-year-olds.

But a new online registration system means that plenty can change between now and the April 20 deadline. I felt oddly elated when I registered on the site recently — it takes two minutes and just requires your NI number.

In the US, voter registration isn’t a dreary election-year sub-plot but an issue of huge contention, fired by the knowledge that many conservative politicians rely on the apathy of marginalised voters. It should be the same here: registering new voters is a rare noble cause in modern politics.

Live in a safe seat? This election is so tight that the national vote shares are predicted to be more significant than ever. Don’t think there’s enough bold, meaningful stuff to vote for? That will only change when groups that politicians routinely ignore announce their presence by getting involved in the democratic process.

If they do, it will send a message: that the young need to be taken seriously, and that the kind of radical change favoured by less-comfortable groups in society can’t be rubbished. It might even show that big problems can be solved through the will of many people, as opposed to the money and connections of few. But you only have until April 20 to get on board.

Older people and richer people are much more likely than younger and poorer people to vote