Seven days left to register to vote in the UK General Election

Monday, 13 April 2015

At Twitter, we see on a daily basis the positive impact that individuals around the world can make when they use their voice to exchange ideas, spread information, and share opinions.

That’s why we’re committed to supporting everyone across the UK who is interested in participating in the democratic process by voting in the General Election on May 7.

This morning, Twitter users in the UK saw a reminder in their timelines that the deadline to register to vote is only seven days away. Interested users could then find additional information and register through this Tweet from the Electoral Commission (@ElectoralCommUK).

“It’s now time for one last push. It’s fantastic that Twitter is working with us to remind millions of people that it only takes a few minutes to fill in a form and there’s just a week left before the deadline,” Alex Robertson, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission said.

The #GE2015 has played out on Twitter in important ways in just the past few weeks, and it isn’t just politicians and pundits who are joining the real-time conversation.

Voters sent over 1.5 million Tweets during the #LeadersDebate, and in March, the #BattleforNumber10 became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter.

And it’s young voters in particular who are using the platform to inform their political opinions and voting decisions.

In a survey of UK Twitter users aged 18-34, nearly half said they became interested in or joined a political cause that they learned about on Twitter. Of those surveyed, one in three said they changed their vote from one party to another based on something they saw on Twitter and nearly half said they reconsidered their views on a specific issue because of information they gained on Twitter.

With 20% of those surveyed saying they are still undecided on whom they will vote for in the election, Twitter will be a key outlet over the next month for young voters seeking information on which politicians and parties best represent their views.