Jan 27, 2008
Reading Students Matter
Cllr Daisy Benson and the Reading Lib Dems have launched a campaign in conjunction with Reading University Students Union to encourage more students to register to vote in time for the local elections in May.
Daisy will be pressing the Deputy Leader of the Council at a meeting of the Council on Tuesday to do more to get students onto the electoral roll.
The Lib Dems will also be going door to door in the University area to remind students that they CAN vote in local elections in Reading (even if they are registered at home)
Daisy said:
“The number of Reading students who register to vote is still too low. The Council must do more to encourage students to register.
“Students sometimes forget to re-register when they leave halls and move into student houses off campus.”
“Students living out use local services just like other residents and it is vital that their voices are heard. They have until 11 April to register in time for the May elections.
Issues like recycling, bus services, streetlighting and policing really matter to students living in Reading and this is their chance to vote for more progressive policies and influence the Council’s decisions”
Sally Pearman, President of Reading University Student’s Union said:
“Many students are dealing with a lot of responsibility for the first time. The Council should be making the election process as easy as possible and using innovative campaigns to get more students voting.“
“If our Council does not engage these young minds then they will become increasingly marginalised in our community as local politicians won’t consider their unique perspective.”
Editor’s Notes –
- Residents have until 11 April to register for May’s local elections
- Daisy will be asking her question on at a Council meeting at the Civic Centre on Tuesday 29 January at 6.30pm
- A recent report by Reading Borough Council showed that voter registration in student areas of Reading is significantly lower than the rest of town
- The St Lukes Church (Erleigh Road area) polling station in Redlands has a registration rate of 69.5% (the Reading Borough average is 80.68%)
- This is the third year running the Lib Dems have run a ‘door to door’ campaign to encourage voter registration in Reading
