EU referendum: Is this the reason you haven't registered to vote?

National Insurance cards are no longer issued

Newsbeat's been told that thousands of 18-24s are abandoning attempts to register to vote in the EU referendum.

It's because they're being asked for their National Insurance number and many can't remember it or find it.

Bite the Ballot, a group working to engage young people in politics, says that between 23-27 May there were more than 3,800 clicks via its website to a government sign-up page.

Of that number the group believes just 10 people successfully registered.

You can register to vote here.

Mike Sani, the chief executive of Bite the Ballot, thinks the drop-off is happening because many people simply can't remember their National Insurance details without a card.

"Let's be honest, most people are doing this on their phone. [They] don't send out National Insurance cards like they used to so people that don't know them leave the page.

"If you're already slogging at trying to inspire them in the first place, you tend to only get one chance."

Mike Sani, chief executive of Bite the Ballot

In response, Education Minister Sam Gyimah told Newsbeat that National Insurance details are important to prove people's identities.

He told us: "We have the simplest way of registering to vote in this country. You can register to vote on a smartphone in four minutes."

National Insurance numbers can be found on your payslip, P60 or on your student loan form.

If people still can't find it, they are given the option on the site to click and request to provide another form of identity.

People can legally register to vote from the age of 16 but Bite the Ballot say those aged 18-24 are twice as likely not to be signed up as the the rest of the general public.

This week it's kicked off its campaign to sign up 500,000 young people by the 7 June registration deadline.

It includes collaborations with Uber and dating app Tinder, who will encourage people to register to vote while they are using their services.

Mike Sani says: "To think their millions of users in the UK will be exposed to this is really exciting.

"We're putting politics where the users are and making it feel normal. We really hope that could take us to big levels of registration."

A 'Democracy Cafe' organised by Bite the Ballot to get more people registered

Despite the concern over National Insurance details putting people off, figures from the registration website show that more than 80,000 18 to 24-year-olds have applied to register in the last week.

Mike also says the level of support his organisation has received from the government has improved compared to its voter registration drive ahead of last year's General Election.

Polling figures suggest young people are more likely to vote to support the prime minister's view that Britain should remain in the EU.

Mike says: "The government has got an active stance on this and it thinks young people will help them achieve that 'in' vote and that is quite frustrating but I think younger people will see through that."

He hopes the support to get people engaged in politics will continue long after the referendum is over.

"Let's try and take the positives and hope that regardless of the decision... from 24 June we learn from this and place things in the heart of education."

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