Armando Iannucci, the creator of multiple political satires, has taken to Twitter to encourage young people to vote.
Iannucci, who wrote the HBO series Veep and BBC Two’s The Thick of It, wrote on Twitter that having young people “register to vote, and then vote” would make a “big difference” to the outcome of the next general election. See the tweets below:
18-24 year olds. I beg you on my gnarled and brittle knees; register to vote, and then vote. A solid 18-24 vote will make a big difference.
— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) April 18, 2017
Register to vote. Then vote. https://t.co/DOcvPLptNa
— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) April 18, 2017
This morning, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that there would be a snap general election held on the 8th June to decide on the country’s leadership for the next five years.
Iannucci also posted a link to the closing speech from season three of The Thick Of It, that sees sweary spin doctor Malcolm Tucker (played by Peter Capaldi) calling for a general election.
https://youtu.be/ElNlIfwlF-w
According to Politico, in the 2016 referendum on EU Membership, 75% of voters aged 24 and under supported ‘Remain’.
EU referendum by age group — 75% of voters aged 24 and under voted against Brexit https://t.co/eQci0vNffx pic.twitter.com/UADq1NaL8v
— POLITICO Europe (@POLITICOEurope) June 24, 2016
Voter turnout amongst 18-24 year olds is thought to have been around 64%. This estimate was initially much lower, leading to accusations by Brexit supporters that complaints of old age voter bias in favour of Brexit were unfounded.