Informing young people about voting
2020
Informing young people about voting
A General Election was held in the UK on 12 December 2019. In Scotland, Young Scot, in our role as Scotland’s official youth information charity, ran a campaign about voting across our website and social media channels. We connected with young people on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok. The aim of the campaign was to inform young people about voting, encourage them to take part and to explain to them how to cast their vote.
WHAT DID WE DO?
We created a landing page with a range of brand-new and repurposed content to help ensure young people knew how to register to vote, how to make an informed decision and what happens when they were at the polling booth. The campaign focused on:
Encouraging young people to register to vote before the deadline on 26 November. This included an animation video with three easy to follow steps on how to register which was promoted across our social media channels, as well as regular reminders in the run up to the deadline.
Informing young people about voting in advance of the General Election. We created a range of content from articles such as ‘How to make an informed decision’ to graphics for social media sharing important information, such as ‘You don’t need to bring your ID to vote’.
Encouraging young people to get out and vote on 12 December & remember polling booth etiquette!On the day of the General Election we had regular content scheduled throughout the day from the time the polling booths opened at 7am through to 10pm when they closed. We focused content on busting myths, particularly around things that might stop young people from voting, for example ‘Lost your polling card? You can still vote!’. And took the opportunity to remind people about etiquette, for example no selfies in the polling booth!
The campaign used the channels where we know young people aged 18+ (voting age in UK General Elections) spend time, with a focus on Instagram Stories, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The campaign had good levels of engagement across our social media platforms and website. We also saw other organisations, such as Glasgow City College, use our information to inform what they were producing for young people around the General Election.
Reflecting on the campaign, here are our top tips:
The General Election was called at relatively short notice, horizon scanning so you know what’s coming up is key. Once you know the dates, familiarise yourself with deadlines (for example, registering to vote and emergency proxy votes) and make a content plan. Remember to look at past content to see what can be repurposed.
The General Election was being talked about everywhere, but a large proportion of the people who engage with Young Scot are not of voting age and so it was important to mix content with other content aimed at our younger demographics.
We’ve noticed that young people are engaging more with our content directly on social media, rather than on our website. This means we need to continue to make sure we are delivering the information in accessible ways directly on the platforms where possible, as well as having a landing page on our website.
After the election has taken place, there may be uncertainty, for example if there is no clear party who wins. Creating content that helps inform young people about what happens next or jargon busting terms that are being used in the news is also important.
Visit our voting landing page, follow us on social media (@YoungScot) or get in touch by emailing us.
