The youth vote

A rumoured 72 percent of youth (18-25 year olds) in the United Kingdom went out to vote in last weeks general election - more so than ever before, even including the EU Referendum. The masses of younger people casting their ballot arguably had a significant impact on the results of this election, and like many others, this was my first time voting in person.

As a university student, eligible voters have the option to vote for their local constituency, or, if they choose to register their campus address, they can vote in the constituency of their university. Many of my friends chose to vote on campus - it was a simple process that took seconds. The atmosphere on campus was incredible - you could even watch the results come in in the Students Union all night (which is what we did!)

I chose to go home and vote - lots of people did a postal vote if their hometown was far from campus. I was fortunate enough to catch the train and vote in my local constituency, all in time to watch the results come in at the Union in the evening. It took less than a minute to confirm my identity (all you do is state your address and name), collect the ballot paper and vote.

Having the opportunity to vote in person was so empowering and exciting. Even if it feels like your vote doesnt have an impact, you really never know how important a single vote can be. In Kensington (a borough of central London), the Labour party was able to win their seat by just 20 votes , for the very first time. Wins can be so narrow, and even if your constituency is a safe seat (where the party you want to vote for is pretty much guaranteed to win), it is worth going out and showing your support for the party you believe in. We were fortunate enough to have polling stations open from 7am to 10pm, so there really was very little reason not to take this opportunity!

If you arent sure who to vote for, there are plenty of websites that allow you to input your priorities for policies and see which party your ideas align with the most. That way, you can make a more informed decision and understand what the aim of each political party is.

As the people who these policies will have the most significant impact on, it is key that we exercise our right to vote. Many of the policy changes are aimed at us, such as the proposed changes to student finance, university fees and the minimum wage. This means that we have to make sure we are happy with the policies that are in place - they will affect us in the long term.

No matter what country you live in, if you are eligible to vote, you should try to do so. The ability to do so is a privilege that can directly affect you and help you when trying to go into further study, secure a job and succeed in the future. It really does feel incredible to have a personal contribution to your local community, and be able to engage yourself in the issues that affect you and those around you!