A politics expert at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has urged all students to go out and ‘use their democratic right’ to vote at the local government elections tomorrow.
Alistair Jones, Associate Professor of Politics at DMU, says he knows some may say they don’t care about local elections because it’s to do with issues that do not affect them.
But he says not voting on the admittedly ‘more mundane matters’, such as emptying bins, roadworks, bus services and schools, could mean the city leaders being given the opportunity to make decisions that will affect people’s quality of life with no come back.
Watch Alistair's call to action here
Alistair said: “So come the 4th of May go out and vote… make your impression, because if you sit back and do nothing what’s to stop city hall doing whatever they want?
“Find out about the candidates. You still have time. You can go on the internet and find out what they want. It takes two or three minutes. Then go out and express your opinion. Your vote matters.
“I’ll let you into a little secret. The youngest generation – the 18 to 24-year-old voters - are the group who vote the least because they think politics ‘does not affect me’.
“It does matter. It impacts on you like everyone else and your voice needs to be listened to.”
Alistair has also reminded students to take photo ID with them.
He said: “This [introducing rules to carry photo ID], I would argue, is the Government preventing you from being able to vote. So, take your ID and go and express your democratic right as to who should represent you.”
Details about the Leicester City Council elections, including who wants to represent you, can be found here
More information about the types of photo ID that are acceptable can be found here
Posted on Wednesday 3 May 2023