With election turnout usually lower among the younger working population, employers should consider ways to make it easier for their staff to head to polling stations and share key messages about voting in the general election, write Maddy Vincent and Stefan Martin.
In a year where nearly half the global population is heading to the polls and the UK general election is fast approaching, employers should be considering the steps they can take to facilitate staff votes.
A report by the Electoral Commission in 2023 estimated that up to eight million people were missing from the electoral register and that millions more were not registered accurately. By providing employees with information about how they can register to vote, businesses can help close this gap and assist their staff in exercising their democratic rights.
Evidence shows that companies that carry out corporate voter engagement, encouraging their employees to vote in the run-up to elections, can make a meaningful impact on voter turnout.
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A 2019 Harvard study evaluated the impact of voter participation programmes implemented by companies in the US ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
The efforts of the companies analysed, including Endeavor, Gap, Patagonia and Target – which all varied in terms of sector, size and resources – were found to be both effective in promoting voter participation, but also carried business benefits, such as increased employee satisfaction.
Similar studies have not yet been run in the UK but it is well established that, like other Western democracies, younger people in the UK are less likely to vote. For example, the British Election Study shows that in age groups where voters are most likely to be working and less likely to have flexibility in their working arrangements (such as 25-34 and 35-44), estimated turnout is significantly lower (at around 60% in the last general election), whereas those over 65, who are less likely to be working, are most likely to vote (with an estimated turnout of 74%).
Similarly, young people are less likely to be registered to vote. An Electoral Commission report from 2023 shows that 74% of 25 to 34-year-olds were registered to vote in 2022 in Great Britain as opposed to 96% of those aged 65 or above. This suggests that effective corporate voter engagement activities could help increase historically lower voter turnout among age groups that are likely to be working.
How to encourage voter participation
Hogan Lovells has collaborated with The Politics Project to produce The Voter Handbook, which was designed to provide employers with a non-partisan way to encourage votes among employees by disseminating clear information. The handbook covers who can vote in the UK general election, voter registration, the different methods of voting and voter ID requirements, and was created in line with Electoral Commission guidance.
Effective corporate voter engagement activities could help increase historically lower voter turnout among age groups that are likely to be working”
We know most businesses understand the importance of promoting voter participation but want to engage with their employees in a way that is constructive, non-partisan and sensitive to the diversity of their employee base.
There are many other actions employers can adopt to encourage voter participation, such as:
- Offering flexible working arrangements, such as reduced or revised hours, on election day
- Providing paid time to vote
- Sending reminder emails on or close to election day
- Offering childcare support on election day
- Publicising postal voting for employees unable to get to their polling station
- Holding a voter registration drive.
What employees need to know about the general election
 For employers who are restricted on time and resources, there are a few key messages that would be beneficial to their employees:
- To vote in UK parliamentary general elections you will need to be registered to vote. You can register to vote online or by posting a paper form to your local elections team.
- The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming UK general election is 18 June 2024
- Assuming you are registered, there are three different ways to vote: in person, by post, or by proxy.
- To vote in person, you will need to visit a polling station on the day of the election
- To vote by post, you must apply to do so by 19 June 2024, and make sure your vote reaches the elections team at your local council by 10pm on polling day
- To vote by proxy, you must apply for someone you trust to vote on your behalf.
- If you choose to vote in person, you must show photo ID at the polling station on election day. This is a new requirement and there are multiple forms of ID you can use.
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