Youth Voter Surge in UK Elections

0:00On April 21st, over 112,000 people rushed to register to vote on the final deadline Monday night, smashing the previous days. 42,827 applications, and marking the biggest single-day surge this year. That cutoff was 11.59pm on April 20th, ahead of elections across England, Scotland, and Wales on May 7th. These polls are picking Scottish Parliament members, well-shedded reps, plus over 5,000 council seats in 136 English local. Authorities and six mayor-erall races. It's the biggest batch of local elections in England in three years, with Scotland and Wales lawmakers up for grabs since their last vote in 20. 21. Young folks drove the boom, with more than two-thirds of those applications from under 35s, 39% from under 25s, and 28% from 25 to 34-year-olds. Older groups trailed off, from 14% in the 35 to 44 range, down to just 2% over 75.

1:01Heads up though, these are just applications, not guaranteed registrations, and some might be duplicates or from folks who can vote. Postal vote requests are due by 5pm Tuesday, April 21st online, and England voters need photo ID like a pass-forward or driving license at the burst. Polls, no ID, grab a voter authority certificate by 5pm, April 2008. Proxy votes wrap up the same day online too, but Scotland and Wales skip the photo ID check altogether. With youth turnout looking strong, May 7th could shake things up big time.