How to (Gently) Force Your Friends to Vote
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For reasons explained here, young people are terrible at voting but that doesn’t mean that this General Election will be the same. Of course, registering to vote (and actually voting) is the responsibility of an individual and no one else. However, there are things you can do to *force* your peers to vote that don’t involve the cliched people-died-for-your-right-to-vote argument.
1- Send them the registration form until they register. Depending on the stubbornness of the person, you may have to send it 100 times a day. You have until the 22nd, they’ll crack eventually. If they have registered but don’t plan to vote, send them this picture of Emily Davison, the Suffragette who jumped in front of a horse to protest women’s right to vote, every day until they give in.
2- Plan to go out for drinks or food on the 8th of June after voting. No one likes being left out so this should hopefully motivate them to actually get out and vote. Make it very clear that only voters are allowed.
3- Tag them in voting-related memes on social media. The more insulting, the more effective it will be.
4- Send them articles, screenshots etc so that they can’t play the “I don’t understand politics” card. Everyone has a duty to learn about politics.
5- Meet up on the 8th and go into the polling station together. This only works if you live in the same constituency but it will prevent them from backing out on the day.