With the voter registration deadline looming, Dundee University’s Election Champions team is trying to get as many students as possible to register.
A team of strictly non-political students are going round student halls and attending events trying to communicate the importance of voting to the student population.
Stewart Squire, head of the Election Champions, said: “With thousands of students unregistered to vote due to changes in the electoral system, Dusa has been working to reverse this trend and encouraging our students to take part in the democratic process.
“Dusa has been working in support of the UK Cabinet Office and National Union of Students project to encourage registration and this has led Dusa to establish Election Champions which is a student-led team who have visited Dundee University student residencies to raise awareness.”
Dusa president Iain MacKinnon said: “Engaging students with democratic representation is one of our key objectives in Dusa.
“The general election is a real chance for the student voice to be heard at a national level and with Dundee being such an important battleground there’s a chance for us to make a real difference.
“The referendum engaged students like never before, and we want that to continue long into the future.”
Champions Niall Christie and Leia Farnan, both taking time out from their fourth year studies to encourage people to vote, explained why voting, for students and everyone else, is so vital.
Niall said: “Most people don’t know the deadline, and don’t realise it’s so soon.
“People have the date May 7th in their minds. Getting people motivated can be hard, generally people have always been involved, or don’t want to get involved.”
He said not voting as a protest does not work.
“It’s a waste of time, it’s petty, it’s petulant, and if disagreeing with everything is an excuse to not get off your backside, you should be ashamed,” he said.
Leia said: “If you’re not voting, your voice isn’t being heard.
“People who haven’t or choose not to vote are going unnoticed, and if you feel politics doesn’t represent you, you need to go and vote, either vote for another candidate, or spoil your ballot, because that still counts as a vote.”