What every 18 year-old wants for their birthday: an email from the council!

Mid Devon District to email teenagers when they come of age

A Devon council is to send youngsters in its area an email on their 18th birthday, congratulating them on their eligibility to vote.

It might not be the birthday gift that everyone hopes for on their eighteenth, but it has a purpose. It's to remind them of their role in local democracy. They get to be able to vote for local councillors, as well as in general elections and referenda, if the government every chooses to risk another one.

Cynics may also suggest it's a subtle reminder that, unless they're exempt (students perhaps), they also get to pay council tax.

Teenagers will also be directed to a website called 'Your Vote Matters' which provides information about voting. Research indicates that only 44 per cent of 18 to 24 year-olds vote in general elections, the lowest of any age group, but the proportion has been rising since the election of 2001, in which Labour retained power for the first time since 1974.

Jill May, Electoral Registration Officer for Mid Devon District Council says: “As we mark 100 years since some women were first guaranteed the right to vote, and 90 years since fully equal voting rights, we feel it is particularly important to encourage our young people to use their vote to ensure the future of our free and fair democracy.” 

Emails to 18 year-olds will start to coincide with Local Democracy Week later in the year.