Campaign launch to get 16 and 17 year olds ReadyToVote in council elections

Issued by the Electoral Commission

More than 200 high schools across Scotland will run electoral registration and voting workshops for pupils today (1 March) to mark the launch of the Electoral Commission’s ReadyToVote campaign.

The campaign, which is being run in partnership with education bodies and councils across Scotland,  aims to ensure that as many 16 and 17 year olds as possible are registered and able to vote at the Scottish council elections  on 4 May – the first Scotland wide council elections at which 16 and 17 year olds are eligible to vote.

Nearly 80,000 16 and 17 year olds registered to vote ahead of the Scottish Parliament election last year and 78% of them claimed to have voted in the poll.   The deadline to register ahead of the Scottish council elections in May is 17 April, Easter Monday.

Andy O’Neill, Head of the Electoral Commission in Scotland said:

“Councils are responsible for so many services that are important to young people, whether that be schools, transport or sporting facilities. So we don’t want young people to miss out on having their say in the council elections just because they aren’t registered or don’t know how to vote.

“With so many 16 and 17 year olds still in school, this campaign is a great opportunity to take the registration and voting message directly to them and make it as easy as possible for them to register and be ReadyToVote. Registering to vote is easy and only takes a few minutes online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote”