Electoral Commission
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Hollyoaks stars launch new Electoral Commission campaign

Jennifer Metcalfe, Amanda Clapham, Duayne Boachie and Jazmine Franks encourage viewers to register to vote in advert filmed on Hollyoaks' set.

Channel 4 has recently released a new advert for the launch of an Electoral Commission campaign to encourage more young people to register to vote ahead of the elections in May – before the deadline on April 18th.

The ad – which can be watched now on YouTube - will be broadcast for the first time today 21st March at 6:45pm during Hollyoaks and will run across Channel 4, E4 and All4.

The bespoke advert, created by Lime Pictures and filmed at the Hollyoaks set in Childwall, Liverpool, was filmed in Esther's Magic Bean and stars Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes McQueen), Amanda Clapham (Holly Cunningham), Jazmine Franks (Esther Bloom) and Duayne Boachie (Zack Loveday).

Electoral Commission research in 2014 found that the following groups are typically less likely to be registered:

  • Recent home movers. 93.9% of people who have been at their property for more than sixteen years are registered compared to 40.1% of people who have been at their current address for less than a year.  
  • Young people. 76% of 18-19 year olds and 70% of 20-24 year olds were registered to vote. This compared to 95% of those aged 65 plus.
  • People in rented accommodation. 63.3% of those renting from a private landlord were registered to vote in 2014, compared to 93.6% of people who own their home outright and 89.3% who own their home with a mortgage.

The ad sees the Hollyoaks cast remind viewers about the importance of registering to vote ahead of the 2016 elections in May. Jazmine Franks who plays Esther Bloom in the hit soap. "I hope we can spread the message and get more young people to register and ultimately shape our country's future."

Alex Robertson, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission said:

"We're really excited to be working alongside the production team and cast members of Hollyoaks. It's a fantastic opportunity to spread the message to younger people in particular, who our research has shown are less likely to be registered. If you're not registered you won't be able to take part in the elections in May, but registering is really easy to do online."

Jennifer Metcalfe said:

"Hollyoaks has always prided itself on engaging a young audience in a motivating and thought-provoking manner. It's a brilliant opportunity to encourage young people to be more pro-active about voting, in particular as research has shown this age group are less likely to be registered."

Amanda Clapham said:

"It's important for young people to vote but, in order to do so, it's also important to remember to register by April 18th, as this is something that can easily be missed. Young people are the future and that's why they should make their vote count!"

Duayne Boachie added:

"I thought registering to vote might be complicated or take loads of time but I found you can do it online and it only takes five minutes. A lot of young people like to tweet their opinions but registering to vote is even easier than tweeting and it makes much more of a difference."

Executive Producer Bryan Kirkwood added:

"Hollyoaks has a long established connection with the younger part of the audience. Giving young people a voice is at the very heart of our show and so, for us, encouraging young people to register their vote is an important message to help deliver."

The advert can be viewed online here.

There is a still from the campaign available to download here.

To register to vote, people should visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

For further information or to arrange an interview contact:
Lisa Camps in the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704 or camps@electoralcommission.org.uk 
Out of office hours 07789 920 414

Notes to editors

  • The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK's democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendum held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).

 

Channel website: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk

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