By Jo Best, 19 April 2005 16:25
NEWS The Electoral Commission is supporting efforts to get the UK's young voters interested in the election - by hijacking their mobiles.
With voting turnout particularly low among the young, mobile operator O2 has introduced an election section to its O2 Active WAP portal, including information on postal voting, how to find the nearest polling station and frequently asked questions on politics.
O2 Active already made the connection between mobile and MPs when Tony Blair was interviewed in the portal's chatroom.
The Electoral Commission's campaigns manager, Becky Lloyd, said using a familiar medium to distribute electoral information such as a mobile is key to reaching younger voters.
The UK's mobile users are among some of the earliest adopters worldwide. According to new research by MobileYouth, a British child will own its first mobile at age eight, compared to a US child, who will own theirs at 12.
Comments
There is 1 comment. Join the discussion
1. Richard
Too young to vote!
We should raise the voting age to at least 21: Most youngsters below this age have too little experience of life and are too easily influenced by "media icons" or by their teachers.
Your article states "... a British child will own its first mobile at age eight ..." Surely this is too young even for New Labour?