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Surge in New Voters Sparks Talk of UK Election 'Youthquake'

Associated Press

   LONDON - In a British election dominated by Brexit, young voters who
   had no say in the country's decision to leave the European Union could
   hold the key to victory. That is, if they can be bothered to vote.

   It has long been a truth in British politics that young people vote in
   lower numbers than older ones. In the last election in 2017, just more
   than half of under-35s voted, compared to more than 70% of those older
   than 60.

   But that may be changing. According to official figures, 3.85 million
   people registered to vote between the day the election was called on
   Oct. 29 and Tuesday's registration deadline _ two-thirds of them under
   35. The number of new registrations is almost a third higher than in
   2017.

   Amy Heley of Vote for your Future, a group working to increase youth
   participation, says the figure is "really encouraging, and shows that
   politics has been so high profile recently that it is encouraging more
   young people to vote."

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