Students denied the right to vote

STUDENTS were turned away from the polling station just before 10pm last night after queuing for hours. The NUS questioned the first impression this gave to the voters.

The National Union of Students, NUS, undertook a long campaign to help students be informed and to get them to use their right to vote. Clearly it was of utmost importance that they defended their interests.

Raising tuition fees was a possibility once the general election ended. Already paying a lot for a higher education, students held a protest in November last year asking MPs to sign a pledge promising they will not vote for raising the fees. Wes Streeting, president of NUS, encouraged students to vote: “You can help by registering to vote, using your vote, writing to candidates, putting the pressure on."

In every university, student unions also expected their students to vote. From Canterbury Christ Church University, Liam Preston, the president of the SU talked about the incidents at the general election.

Nevertheless in many parts of the country students were turned away from polling stations. After queuing for more than an hour, just before 10 pm, students were told that there is no more time for them to vote. David Cameron said: "An early task for a new government should be to get to the bottom of of what has happened and to make sure that never, ever happens again."

According to a YouTube video, 200 people were unable to vote in Manchester. A quite similar incident happened in Sheffiled at the Ranmoor polling station. The NUS blamed the authorities for this and said: "We are alarmed by reports that students were placed in a separate, slower queue. Students' unions have worked tirelessly to reverse the trend of low voter turnout amongst students and other young people. What message does this send to first time voters whose votes will not be counted?"

The students complained by this unfair treatment, but the police only told them there was no more time for them.

The following video shows what was happening in Manchester: