Voting starts to elect new UK Youth Parliament members

Young people across the East Riding will go to the polls this week to elect two East Riding representatives to sit on the UK Youth Parliament.

There are nine candidates standing for election this year and secondary schools are being encouraged to use polling booths and ballot boxes along with other polling-station related materials to create a realistic election day experience.

Those students who are electively home educated or in Post-19 provision not in a school setting, will be directly sent a link so they can vote online while 11-year-old primary school pupils will be voting in their schools.

The elections are being organised by Community Vision, with support from East Riding of Yorkshire Council and will see young people between 11 and 18-years-old to choose two candidates to replace Aonpreeya Petchatchua and Freya Edwards as representatives on the UK Youth Parliament. Two deputies will also be elected.

As part of the election, students will also be asked to vote on a number of topics and issues which will also be printed on the ballot papers as part of the national Make Your Mark campaign.

The nine candidates have all produced manifestos outlining their election pledges and can be found by going to www.eastriding.gov.uk/youthparliament and to ensure a fair election, all candidates will remain anonymous.

The two winners and the two elected deputies will be declared at an event, which will be held at Beverley Memorial Hall on Thursday, 7 March 2024.

Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This is the chance for all our young people across the East Riding to take part in the democratic process and elect two representatives to sit on the UK Youth Parliament who will be their voice and represent their views.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed watching all the videos and reading the manifestos of all the nine candidates, they’ve all put so much hard work and effort into them and I’d like to wish them all the very best of luck.

“I would also like to thank all the schools and parents who have embraced this election process which has allowed our young people to take part in the vote.”

Detty Tyler, children and young people’s services co-ordinator at Community Vision added: “It is so exciting to see the elections getting underway across the East Riding.

“I can’t wait to find out the result of the election as well as the result of the vote in the national Make Your Mark campaign and I’m looking forward to working with those elected members who will be sitting on the UK Youth Parliament, along with all our young people, to really make a difference in the East Riding as well as on a national level.”

* For more information about the UK Youth Parliament elections and to view the candidates’ manifestos and videos, go to www.eastriding.gov.uk/youthparliament

Picture Caption 1 main image (l-r) Councillor Victoria Aitken, Aonpreeya Petchatchua and Freya Edwards, Picture Caption 2 (l-r) Freya Edwards, Detty Tyler and Dave Brown, both Community VISION