Want your voice heard? You have less than a week to enrol to vote.
Salonee Mistry

BY SALONEE MISTRY

Climate change, employment, migration, education, health, housing, transport.

No matter your passion or politics, the Federal Election 2019 is the biggest opportunity to have your say.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced Australians will go to the polls on May 18, which means those not currently enrolled to vote now have less than one week to sign up to have their say.

The 2019 election is an essential time for young voters, who are underrepresented, to become involved in the political process, yVote Director Skye Riggs said.

“It is important to enrol and then vote because it is scary to not have your voice heard,” Ms Riggs said.

“The only way to change how underrepresented the youth is would be to actually become a part of the system.

“Democracy is this system and enrolling to vote is the first step.”

Enrolling isn't hard, it's just that youth feel disfranchised says yVote's Skye Riggs. PHOTO: Supplied

According to the Australian Election Commission the National Youth Enrolment Rate as of March 2019 is 85.8 percent with 1,633,147 eligible voters aged between 18 and 24.

This is a rise from the last quarter, when the enrolment rate was 84.5 percent.

Monash University political scientist Dr Zareh Ghazarian said it was important for young people to contribute to policy shaping, as they are the country's future.

“Young people are passionate about issues, well connected and have the information they need,” Dr Ghazarian said.

“Elections are an opportunity for them to put their passions into practice by voting, the first step of which is enrolling."

 Dr Zareh Ghazarian says voting is the only way for youth to help set the political agenda. PHOTO: Supplied 

Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) spokesperson Alex Fuller said she feared environmental concerns would not be addressed if around 10 per cent of young people were not enrolled to vote.

“Our future is at stake and the elections are the best way to ensure the voices of youth, which are otherwise drowned out, are heard,” Ms Fuller said.

AYCC's Alex Fuller says the upcoming election could prove close and every vote will count. PHOTO: Supplied.  

“One out of 10 Australian Youth is not enrolled to vote, and when put together that is a lot of people. Every vote counts.”

“The past six years have shown how the government is not taking issues that concern us seriously and so the upcoming elections are not an opportunity to be missed.”

To enrol to vote click here or head to the Australian Electoral Commission website.