In a world of AI and QR codes, heading to a polling station can feel like stepping back in time. The setting feels very Vicar of Dibley-esque as the doors of village halls, churches and primary schools across the country are thrown open. With a tiny pencil in hand, you scribble an ‘X’ onto a piece of paper, which is then deposited into a ‘letters to Santa’-style postbox.
There’s rarely an iPhone in sight (the Electoral Commission strongly advises against taking selfies at stations), and the process – perhaps the most integral to a functioning modern society – has remained pretty much unchanged since 1872, when Britain held its first ‘secret’ ballot. This week, a new crop of voters, born on or before July 4 2006, will be exercising their democratic right for the very first time in the General Election . For these voters – and other Gen Zs who may never have stepped into a polling booth before – the set up will be at odds with the digitised world they grew up in.
After all, this is the generation who have never heard the sound of dial-up internet, never owned a CD, or lived in a home with a landline telephone. In your inbox Analysis, news and views in our weekly newsletter . Explore what matters to you: Policy on immigration , healthcare , tax , childcare , LGBTQ+ rights , housing and climate .
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