Straw poll about students deciding which constituency to vote in

[Hereismyreply]

This is purely out of interest, and I completely appreciate it's not a scientific poll(!), but if you have a DC who is a student living away in term time and who therefore has a choice whether to vote at home or at the university constitutuency, which of the following applies?

1. Your DC has considered where their vote will make the most difference (eg whether one is a safe seat and one is a marginal) and decided where to vote based on that.
   

1. Your DC plans to vote, but will decide where to vote based on other factors (eg where they happen to be on the day) rather than where their vote is likely to make most difference.
   

1. Your DC does not plan to vote.
   

1. You have no idea because you never discuss this type of thing with your DC!
   

I have a DS away at university and he has applied for a postal vote to vote at home because his university constituency is a safe seat wherease home constituency is more marginal. Several of his school friends live in an even more marginal constituency and so are deciding to vote at home rather than university for precisely that reason.

Interested to know whether my son and his friends are typical or more politically engaged than the average student. NB Would appreciate it if this thread could stay a thread about the approach of students to deciding where to vote, rather than turning into a furious debate about the merits (or otherwise) of the various political parties.

[boys3]

Mainly 2 with a touch of 1 thrown in. Neither seat a traditional marginal, however the Uni seat has seen Con, Lib and Lab MPs over the last couple of decades. This election is so uncertain that many seats not usually considered marginal could well become so this time round.

[BackforGood]

Voting where she will be on the day.

[lljkk]

DS is not a student, but he is the usual sort of age to be a student (20) & he 2/3rds lives away (military). I asked & he said he would 'probably' vote here (will be on leave from 7-27 December). DS does have very strong political views. However, I put the real odds on these outcomes:

30% DS will vote here
69% DS won't bother to vote, maybe b/c he's somewhere far away on the 12th. Or can't be arsed. Or forgets.
1% DS votes in military base constituency

[Bronzegate]

1. Luckily last lecture of term is that afternoon so he is travelling back straight after it and can be back in time to vote. University accommodation is in a constituency which is a safe Labour seat, so his vote would be needed less there.

[Cismyfatarse1]

Postal vote for the same reason. Plus, home is Scotland and University is England so he is keen to vote here to put the SNP independence nonsense to bed, once again.

[ifancyagreencard]

DD has decided not to apply for postal and to vote at Uni, based on option 1. They are an all night Election Party

[ifancyagreencard]

*planning

[triptrapdollydumpling]

1 for mine. Safe seat here so voting away.

[Pepermintea]

1. for my DD too. We live in a ridiculously safe seat, so she is excited to vote in her uni constituency which is more marginal!

[Xenia]

My twins have a postal vote in our safe Tory seat. I hoper they vote Conservative and have said if they are not sure what to vote for to vote Conservative (not that I expect to have to follow my instructions!). [However if anyone on this thread is not sure then vote Conservative ant keep Corbyn out].

One asked me for his NI number last week as he wants the excitement of going to the poll booth in person (and presumably his friends are registering at the university). I will not forward their postal voting cards from home to university if they register to vote at the university. The other one as far as I know is using his postal vote from home.

I have taken all 5 children to vote regularly as children to see the process and we are all pretty interested. I have always made sure all 5 have a postal vote at university and remind them to register to vote once they leave home - my older son moved last week and he has already been on to the voting people (his street does not qutie exist yet on registers as it was just built !!! so it is proving hard - they did not get back to him as planned and he therefore left another voicemail and emailed them last week so he seems pretty determined to get a vote on the newly built street).

[MarchingFrogs]

DD has also encountered the issue of an apparently non-existent postcode (newly-opened hall of residence) and I think has now decided on a postal vote for here.

[ifonly4]

DD is registered here and under uni postcode. Uni postcode is a marginal seat and home a very safe seat. The two parties she's most likely to vote for aren't any of these parties, but she still plans to vote. Travelling home on 11th, so will be here for the election. If she thought her vote would really count though, I think it'd be a tactical vote.

[happygardening]

We live in one of the safest Tory seats in the UK DS2 is at uni and lives in a very marginal seat less than 1000 votes, where he has also chosen to make his future home so it seems entirely appropriate that he’s registered to vote at there.

[ListeningQuietly]

1 and 1
both uni seats are more marginal than home seat

[Malbecfan]

1 and 1 here too but in our case, the home seat finally looks like it might stop being Tory for the first time in a gazillion years. Both DDs have weighed it up and decided to vote here by a postal vote. DD1 will be at home anyway, DD2 will still be at uni. Both uni seats are safe (and concur with DDs' political views) whereas home is on a knife edge.

[bacabu]

1 - postal vote for home constituency (marginal).

[daisypond]

1 with a bit of 2. Travelling back home on Election Day for Christmas. Is politically active and a member of political party. Both university and home are safe Labour seats.

[ThisIsReworked]

1. She has arranged a postal vote for home because her uni flat is in safe seat she is happy with, and home is in a marginal with a new incoming candidate.

[SchrodingersKitty]

DS registered in both places and has already done lots of research about this. He is in a safe Labour seat so will vote at home (he'll already be here as Oxford chuck them out so early), where we have hopes of ousting our ERG-lackey Tory MP by tactically voting Lib Dem.

[Janus]

Mine is staying on at uni to vote there as it’s more marginal and currently how she would vote whereas ours is a very Tory strong area where her vote would be a waste for her.

[Piggywaspushed]

Mine is voting at uni : bit of a faff otherwise, but also his uni is in one of the most marginal of marginals.

[Piggywaspushed]

xenia not sure this is the thread for you to instruct us all how to vote, thanks!

[seasidequayside]

DD is coming home to vote. She wants to vote in person, our constituency is marginal, so her vote is more likely to have an impact here. If only we had PR and didn't have to make these tactical choices.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

1.

But unlike other posters, dd does not need my advice on who to vote for, she has her own mind and I respect her choices.

[Hereismyreply]

Reading the responses with interest. No one yet with a marginal at home and at uni! The first time I voted, I was away at uni and I don't think it occurred to me to vote anywhere other than there. Then again, my uni constituency and home constituency were both safe Tory seats and the election as a whole was a safe Tory election .