10 Reasons Why Brunel Students Should Register To Vote

Love him or hate him, Boris is standing in Uxbridge and South Ruislip. You can only cast your vote for or against him if you're registered.

Being a student is stressful enough without having to worry about that mounting of debt you’re racking up to get an education and secure a good job in the future.

The generation of 18-30 year olds is the largest, but we are politically dead. If larger numbers of young people registered to vote, the politicians would have no choice but to listen to us and cater to our demands.

Nobody is prepared to predict the outcome of this General Election, and money is funnelling into the marginal seats. With so much uncertainty, your vote could decide who is Prime Minister.

Brunel is one of the most diverse campuses in Europe, and we deserve an MP that represents us, what we stand for and who we are.

Studies show that when you have voted once, you are more likely to vote again. You will most likely vote at some point in your life. Start the good habit now!

So often you hear people say how voting doesn’t change anything and that it doesn’t affect them. Those people could not be more wrong. The Government has the ability to change everything if they wanted to. Do you want to pay zero tax? Access free healthcare? Own a gun? Even have a plot in a cemetery when you die? You better start thinking now about who can guarantee these things that you now take for granted.

Grab your National Insurance number; sit down at a computer device, and register. Fill out your name, address and your personal details – and before you know it that confirmation screen will pop up. And you’ll experience a feeling you’ve never experienced before….WORLD DOMINATION… or well, democracy! And you can reward yourself with a nice cat video on YouTube afterwards.

How did that massive chunk of your pay check go missing before you had time to swipe your card in Liquid? That’s tax. You also paid more for that drink because tax is included! That goes to the Government to pay for public services. When you’re paying 20, 30, 50% of your hard-earned money in tax – don’t you want a say in who is going to spend it?

Despite conventional attitudes about college students not being in the "real world," much of your daily life involves very serious and important decisions. You manage your finances; you are taking charge of your education and career; you are doing your best, every day, to improve yourself through higher education. In essence, you are becoming an adult (if you aren't one already). Your vote matters most because you are finally able to cast it. Go and voice your opinions on issues, policies, candidates, and referendums. Stand up for what you believe in. Vote!