Facebook is going to be encouraging people to register to vote

We’ve got a General Election coming on 7th May, and if you want to be able to vote in it you have to register first. Facebook has joined forces with the Electoral Commission to remind people of that fact and will be encouraging people to register.

Tomorrow every adult Facebook user in the UK will be shown a message encouraging them to register, and will be able to add a life event to their timeline to show the world that they have done.

As well as prompting existing adults, the Electoral Commission will be running targeted adverts designed to reach people who are not 18, but will be by the time May rolls around.

Alex Robertson, Director of Communication at the Electoral Commission said:

 “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Facebook again to reach those who will be eligible to vote on polling day. We saw at the Scottish Independence Referendum that young people are passionate and engaged about the issues that affect their lives. It’s vital that we continue to reach them on platforms like Facebook with information that’s accessible to them. Anyone not yet registered, should visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote now.”

Facebook has run similar campaigns in the past, and according to the University of California it help to increase voter turnout in the 2010 US midterm elections by a third of a million people.