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Hey kids! If you vote Facebook will give you EXTRA LIKES*

UK.gov partners with Zuck-run network to get da yoof into polling booths

In an attempt to poke "da yoof" into voting, the Electoral Commission will run a registration campaign via Facebook tomorrow.

Every person eligible to vote on Facebook in the UK will see a message in their newsfeed directing them to register online via the Gov.uk site.

The body hopes it will prompt others to register, with users asked to add a “registered to vote” "Life Event" to their profiles once they have completed the process.

It is part of the commission's broader efforts to increase the numbers of young people on the electoral register, said the body.

"Studies show that Facebook conversations can lead to increased voter turnout; in 2010 over 300,000 Americans went to vote having seen friends on Facebook share that they’d voted," it said.

In the last British general election voter turnout was 65 per cent, an increase on previous years. Yet, according to electoral wonks, the real problem is trying to engage young people in the voting process.

Left wing think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research has warned that voters are becoming increasingly older and wealthier. Guy Lodge, IPPR associate director, said: "Unequal turnout matters because it gives well-off and older voters disproportionate influence at the ballot box and reduces the incentives for governments to respond to the interests of non-voting groups."

Alex Robertson, director of communications 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." ®

* UK.gov clearly hope that the irresistible lure of extra Facebook likes on an "I've just voted" post will bring young people flocking to the polls. Good luck with that.

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