The Electoral Commission is trying to get young people to vote with a Snapchat geofilter

Electoral Commission Snapchat geofilterThe Electoral Commission has introduced a Snapchat geofilter in a bid to urge young voters to the polls on 8 June.

The geofilter is available across the UK from today (17 May) and reminds people on Snapchat that the deadline to register to vote is 22 May.

“Anyone who is eligible to vote at the General Election should be able to take part,” said Craig Westwood, director of communications at the Electoral Commission. “However, if youre not registered to vote by the deadline of 22 May, then you wont be able to have your say. Were urging anyone not yet registered to do so as soon as possible.”

Snapchat worked with the Electoral Commission in Scotland last month to get young Scots to register for the council elections on 4 May. The pair introduced a similar geofilter to connect with the younger eligible voters.

“Snapchat has a huge audience amongst young adults, a group we know are less likely to be registered to vote,” said Westwood. “By working with them we can get this important message across in a new way and help ensure fewer people lose the chance to cast their vote.”

In addition to working with Snapchat, the Electoral Commission has partnered with various other social platforms to try and connect with various generations. From the 13 to 15 May, Facebook ran a registration reminder, and Nextdoor has also been running reminders on its platform. In addition, Instagram will run reminders for first time from 18 to 22 May.