With only a week to go before the voter registration deadline for this general election, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Liverpool Hope University are collectively encouraging their students to register to vote.
In a joint statement the University of Liverpool Vice Chancellor, Professor Dame Janet Beer, Liverpool John Moores Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian Campbell, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Founder, Mark Featherstone-Witty and Liverpool Hope University Vice Chancellor, Professor Gerald Pillay said, “As the leaders of Liverpool’s universities, we recognise our institutions’ role is to educate, inspire, and support our students to achieve their potential. As part of this, we also have an important legal duty to encourage our students to register to vote and we take this role very seriously.
“The move away from household registration to individual registration has had significant consequences for the student population and, as the leaders of large, civic institutions each committed to the City of Liverpool, we believe it is not only our duty, but also our responsibility to ensure students have the support and information they need to participate in elections.”
Activities to support student voter registration are well underway across the city’s campuses. Regular communications have been paired with a range of reminders and support from Students’ Unions and lecturers.
At Liverpool John Moores University, the Students’ Union has employed dedicated Voter Registration Representatives to go into halls of residence and around campus to encourage students to register and to turnout at their local ballot stations.
At the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Heads of Discipline and student representatives are encouraging students to register and students at Liverpool Hope University will have the opportunity to attend a hustings on campus on 5 December.
Meanwhile, lecturers at the University of Liverpool have been encouraged to set aside five minutes in some of their classes to give students time to complete the registration process online.