THE NUMBER of young voters putting their names on the North's electoral register has jumped by a massive 3,000 per cent.
The latest Electoral Register, published today as required by the Representation of the People Act, shows an overall rise of more than 16,500, bringing the total electorate to 1,142,547. This comfortably surpasses the Electoral Office's target of adding 11,500 new names to the register in time for the next election, scheduled to be the European Parliament poll in June.
However, the rise in the total of young voters, especially among 17 year olds, has risen sharply from just 244 last year to more than 7,700 this year.
Statistics show that young people aged 17 are among the least likely to register. The Electoral Office wants as many of them as possible to do so, to ensure they are entitled to vote at the first election after they become 18.
The number of electors on the Northern Ireland electoral register fell significantly in the early years of the decade following tightening of procedures to help eliminate fraud.
The rise announced today will particularly please the agencies working to encourage voting and stamp out false registration.
During the last year the Electoral Office has targeted young people, organising a series of events designed to encourage everyone to "Get on the List".
Chief electoral officer Douglas Bain said today: "I am particularly pleased to see the huge increase in the number of younger people now registered.
"The numbers have risen from 244 last year to 7,738. This is largely due to our schools initiative, and I applaud the help we have received from the principals and staff of almost all the 143 schools we visited between the end of August and mid-November. Without their assistance, these results could not have been achieved."
Seamus Magee, head of the Electoral Commission's office in Northern Ireland, said: "Our research shows that young people are among those least likely to register to vote. The recent change in the law, requiring schools to get involved in the electoral registration process, appears to be proving very effective. We welcome the work that the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland and his staff are doing to promote registration."
The rise in the electorate is reflected across all 18 Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies, with an average increase of 920.
The largest rise was in Foyle, held by SDLP leader Mark Durkan, with an increase of 1,793, and the smallest was 159 in West Belfast, represented by Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.
The new register reflects more than 93,000 changes, and some 31,000 people who were not on the register last year have now been included.