{"id":13590,"date":"2024-10-01T09:32:12","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T09:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=13590"},"modified":"2025-03-05T10:56:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T10:56:23","slug":"your-vote-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/10\/01\/your-vote-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Vote Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people tell me over the years that they don\u2019t feel they know enough to vote. But you don\u2019t need any qualifications. Everyone should feel they have the confidence, knowledge and understanding to cast their vote,\u201d shared Reading graduate Natasha Brissenden.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"After the 2024 general election, CONNECTED spoke with Natasha, a Digital Communications Manager at The Electoral Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Natasha opened up about the lifelong connections she made at Reading; the crucial work she and her team do in the democratic space to support the needs of voters; and why your vote matters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lifelong connections<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Natasha, who studied philosophy<\/a>, chose Reading because the course had a good reputation and she loved the campus and staff she met in the department.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe course set me up to know what I was capable of. It showed me that when you\u2019re passionate about something it drives your success. And I\u2019ve taken that rule forward with me in my career,\u201d reflected Natasha.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But it wasn\u2019t just what Natasha learnt at Reading which stayed with her \u2013 she also made lifelong connections at university. Speaking about her experience here, she said: \u201cI made friends for life. We\u2019ve been friends for sixteen years and meet up as much as we can \u2013 we even go on holiday together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also met my husband at Reading. We\u2019ve been together for fourteen years and now have a little girl called Alice, who will be turning three very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting involved in democracy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Upon graduating, Natasha worked as an intern at a mobile advertising company. It was a start-up business which presented her with lots of opportunities to work in different areas including digital, marketing and event planning.<\/p>\n

Her next career move was to the Greater London Authority<\/a> (GLA). Her new skills, coupled with her keen interest in politics, made this a perfect fit for Natasha.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI started working at the GLA in 2013 and stayed there for just over five years. During that time I worked on some exciting and rewarding projects, from modernising their social media approach to covering the MTV EMAs in Trafalgar Square.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the standout project for me was running the social media management for the 2016 mayoral elections \u2013 the first proper \u2018social media\u2019 election in London,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe project made me realise I was passionate about helping citizens get involved in democracy \u2013 particularly the role that digital communications play in providing voter information in accessible and easy-to-understand ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Having figured out what she wanted to pursue, Natasha started working for The Electoral Commission in 2018 \u2013 the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK.<\/p>\n

Instilling confidence in the system<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In her role as a Digital Communications Manager, Natasha oversees a team of five who are\u00a0 responsible for the Electoral Commission\u2019s website, social media channels, digital tools and email marketing programme.<\/p>\n

Natasha explains what her team does ahead of an election, and how they support the needs of voters across the UK.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cMy team and I make sure that we\u2019re communicating everything voters might need to know to cast their vote. This means making sure they know when the election is, what the important deadlines are, how to vote and what forms of voter ID are accepted.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt involves creating content for social media channels that\u2019s informative, authoritative and shareable. We need to manage our social media platforms effectively to answer questions about voting, correct misinformation, and ensure voters have confidence in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Showing how this works in practice, Natasha spoke to us about the election tool<\/a> they run with their partners at Democracy Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tool is a quick way for voters to find out which election is taking place, who\u2019s standing and where their polling station is. The BBC has also used our data to power a tool on their website which means more voters can easily find this information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had over 14 million postcode searches across our website, Democracy Club and the BBC in the run up to the general election.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bridging the knowledge gap<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The goal of Natasha\u2019s team is to make sure voters have the confidence, knowledge and understanding to cast their vote. She told CONNECTED about some of the challenges they have faced in engaging with UK voters in recent years.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThere have been some big changes to electoral law such as the introduction of voter ID. We\u2019ve worked with teams across the Commission to make sure voters know about this change and which types of photo ID are accepted.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe work we\u2019ve done together has resulted in a high awareness of the requirement. Confidence in how elections are run is high and the work we do on social media plays a part in this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cElectoral law is complicated \u2013 our content creation and community management efforts help bridge that knowledge gap and correct any misunderstandings about how elections are run.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an ever-changing digital world, Natasha shared that the rise in misinformation and disinformation has also had an impact on voters.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cWith information spreading so quickly on social media it can be challenging to figure out what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo counteract this, we work with our policy team colleagues and other regulators to provide advice to voters on how to think critically about the information they see, before deciding whether to let it influence their vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s part of the work we do to be a trusted, reliable source of election information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having your say <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Natasha is passionate about the work she does in the democratic space and shares why having your say is important.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoting is about more than who will be the next prime minister. It\u2019s your opportunity to have a say about who represents you in Parliament [whether that\u2019s UK Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament or Welsh Senedd]. That\u2019s important because they are representing you on the big issues facing the UK or your nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt local elections, you are voting for someone who is going to represent you on the day-to-day issues that can have a big impact on your life \u2013 whether that\u2019s when your bin is collected, roadworks or improving local facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe advice I\u2019d give to any first-time voters is to think about the issues that are important to you.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSpend time reading manifestos, and make sure you bring photo ID to vote at a polling station for those elections that need it!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Find out more about The Electoral Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019ve had people tell me over the years that they don\u2019t feel they know enough to vote. But you don\u2019t need any qualifications. Everyone should feel they have the confidence, knowledge and understanding to cast their vote,\u201d shared Reading graduate Natasha Brissenden.\u00a0 After the 2024 general election, CONNECTED spoke with Natasha, a Digital Communications Manager […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":13591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[165,54,34,99],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYour Vote Matters - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Natasha shares her experience at Reading, the crucial work she and her team do to support the needs of voters, and why your vote matters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/10\/01\/your-vote-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your Vote Matters - 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