Last week students across BET took to the polls to vote in Parallel Elections offering them the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the UK election process.
Students looked at national policies via party manifestos and local candidate’s statements within their school’s constituency. A couple of schools also heard from their local representatives.
On the day, each school set up a polling station with students given a ballot paper to vote for their preferred candidate. On Friday 5 July, the day after the voting took place, the winners for each school were announced and an overall majority across BET schools went to the labour party, reflecting the national vote.
The event was really popular with students, with a strong voting turnout in each school. Sam, Year 10 student: “It’s important young people get involved in politics early so that when we are at an age where we can vote, we are well informed and educated about the different policies that can affect our lives. Some young people may feel disillusioned by politics, however it’s been refreshing to see how much our school community has engaged with the 2024 General Election.”
Eve, Year 10 student: “We have really enjoyed meeting the local candidates and putting them on the spot about their party’s pledges. It’s vital we understand the different commitments being made by different political parties and the routes that our country could take. We are all eagerly anticipating the result of our school election and the General Election.”
Edward, Year 10 student: “Even though we can’t vote in the General Election this time, we’ve really valued the opportunity to think about and discuss our views on the issues that matter to us in our society. Exercising our democratic rights is a hugely important privilege that we shouldn’t take for granted, especially when there are still places in our world where people are denied this right.”
