A TEAM of three qualified teachers, backed by a wider digital and public engagement team are dialling up their work between now and 7 June to try to get more young people voting.
At the last election, just 17% of Islanders aged 16 to 34 voted, according to the Jersey Opinion and Lifestyle Survey.
Overall, just 42% of those on the Electoral Roll – which in itself is only around 70% of the voting-age population – voted in 2022, one of the lowest turnouts in the western world.
Against this backdrop, a group at the States Greffe are trying to encourage more people to vote, including young people.
Speaking specifically about its youth work, Jenny O’Brien, who leads the team, said: “Looking at why turnout among young people is low, we know that while it is included as part of the PSHE curriculum, the extent to which it is taught in schools varies, and it certainly has done for a number of years.
“So, what we’re trying to do is make sure it is more embedded throughout, so it becomes something that is taught organically, and people talk about it comfortably and confidently, but that will take time.”
One area that is proving fruitful when it comes to increasing engagement is the team’s use of social media. This might seem an obvious medium to use but it is a strategy backed by research commissioned from University College London.
Ms O’Brien said: “We did some research with UCL last year, which highlighted the immense impact and potential of social media to determine behaviour.”
With the researchers, the Greffe ran some focus groups, which helped them to devise some techniques to ‘talk’ directly with young people. By incorporating trends, such as using ‘brat green’ in its posts, which refers to Grammy Award-winning Charli XCX, the team were able to speak to a new audience.
Although all main social media platforms are used, TikTok is a particular focus this election. The team started using TikTok just before the last election and it is the fastest growing of its platforms.
Since July 2024, there has been a 472% increase in its TikTok following and 56% of that is the 18-34 age bracket.
“We look closely at relevant trends,” said Ms O’Brien. “You will see a mixture of content which might have a more entertaining aspect to it but educational content. The platform is there to scroll through and entertain, which has allowed us to build a following, which then enables us to then reach more people with more educational content.”
Although online is important, so too is face-to-face. This year, for the first time, the team is holding a ‘Candidates’ Fair’ which will have ‘Skills Fair’ feeling to it, with candidates each having a ‘pitch’ at Oaklands Sports Centre on Wednesday 29 April.
Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 from as many schools and colleges as possible will attend, giving an opportunity for these new voters to quiz prospective politicians.
In the evening, the fair will be open to the public.
Beforehand, students will be prepped with a few tips by the Greffe’s education team on potential areas of questioning and follow-ups.
This three-person education team, made up of former schoolteachers Molly Gladwin, Heidi Whitehead and Pip Oliver, are a key part of the pre-election strategy. They engage with students directly, whether that be through classes, assemblies, panel-events, visits or the Jersey Youth Assembly.
Mrs Gladwin said: “Our focus is very much on schools and political education, which includes the JYA, but Heidi and Pip also oversee corporate and community work, which include presentations, and ‘lunch and learns’ for businesses, charities and other organisations. There are also outreach managers who engage with Jersey’s many communities.
She added: “The JYA this year has a particular aim to bring young people closer to States Members, to pique their interest in politics.
“Coincidentally and serendipitously, the assembly has also chosen to focus on voting, political engagement and elections, and how they can increase voter turnout, which is really encouraging.
“The JYA has more than 150 members and, on average, we have 50 members attending every other week. We have people from all the mainstream schools, aged 14 to 19. We also have the 11-member executive group who make decisions about the JYA programme.
“Often, people and organisations in Jersey make requests to talk to the JYA about an idea or policy, such as educational reform or developing a mental health strategy.”
The education team’s work is varied. It runs a programme of going into Year 11 and Sixth Form classes and assemblies to explore how to critically evaluate a manifesto, after students have thought about their positions on a range of relevant topics.
Using fake candidates, the exercise explores whether a book can be judged by its cover: it is about passing on skills for students to make their own decisions on who they want to vote for and not just relying on parents, friends and other influences in their lives.
The team also speak with younger students but that is not so election-focused and is more focused on democracy and the technicalities of how things work. For example, Mrs Gladwin has been in JCG over the past few weeks introducing politics to Year 8 and there is also a Year 5 visit programme.
She said: “It all fits into the citizenship curriculum, which is part of PSHE. Not all teachers are fully confident in their knowledge of the Jersey political system, nor do they have the resources, so we can help fill any gaps.
“We also organise Q&As and panel events with Members, but that stops in the pre-election period. They are really popular, particularly among Sixth-Form students, and we help a little bit beforehand, giving students a few pointers about how to ask an open question, having a follow up one ready, knowing the different roles and responsibilities etc. These happen both in schools and in the Assembly.
“Members really enjoy it and sometime admit to it being more nerve-racking than normal: young people can sometimes be quite candid with their questions.”
The Member-focused work will halt with purdah but the Greffe’s fact-based, politically neutral encouragement to vote continues.
The team also carries out professional development training for teachers.
Mrs Gladwin said: “I think there is a real perception among teachers that you are not allowed to say anything; whereas, actually that’s not the case. You can. You just have to be neutral and present a balance of opinions. You should not, for instance, express a personal opinion on President Trump but you can explore why he is controversial and polarising.”
With relatively few young people voting in the last election, it is perhaps surprising to hear that Mrs Gladwin does not think they are less engaged with the political process.
She replied: “No, I’d say that young people are more engaged than ever. And I’d say that they are probably one of the most engaged demographics – they just don’t engage in a traditional way, like the way we measure it.
“Whenever we go into school, people are so aware of what’s going on in Jersey and what’s going on in the world. The number of young people who were aware of Zohran Mamdani’s campaign in New York was incredible, but I think that there is just a disconnect between the institution – and how people get elected to that institution – and young people, and that is the gap that we are trying to bridge.”
Other work of the digital and engagement team includes:
- organising a pre-nomination course for potential candidates, which is three weeks into a seven-week programme, with more than 30 people taking part so far.
- Coordinating the 38 hustings that will be held before the election: one per each type of seat in each parish / district.
- Organising a lesson for every student in Years 11, 12 and 13 on voting
- Organising voter campaigns using a variety of platforms, including social media and the media, videos, vote.je, manifesto booklets, pop-up stalls, stickers and information boards.
