More young people urged to vote after just one third say they took part in Jersey's last election

• Video report by ITV Channel's Jess Dunsdon

Work is underway to boost the number of young voters at this year's June election.

Voter apathy is an island-wide problem, with an average turnout of just 43%.

However, only a third of 16 to 34-year-olds say they voted in the 2018 election, compared to three quarters of islanders over the age of 55.

To encourage the island's younger generation to head to the polls, vote.je has taken to social media in a bid to improve communication.

Serena Dorey, a student at Highlands College, said: "I feel like people our age, we know more about politics going on around the world rather than in our own island.

"I've never really heard any information or seen on social media anything about what's happening here."

Some students have said they carry the burden of being branded "lazy" from their lack of knowledge around local politics, even though it is not routinely taught in schools - aside from the odd lesson for pupils aged around 10 and 15.

• Student Abbi Jones explains why it is difficult to find time to learn about the election

Abbi Jones, another Highlands student said: "A lot of us don't really have the time to go through all candidate manifestos and work out who is best to vote for because we're all in education and I know I personally have a part time job and other commitments."

Some students say it is about time that politicians and the government start using appropriate social media platforms to reach them.

• Student Fern Le Marinel says politicians need to use social media platforms like TikTok to reach younger voters

Fern Le Marinel is a student in computing and says Jersey politics needs to get into the digital age.

She said: "I see politics as a place for the white, grey-haired male in their 60s or 70s. It's just really dull.

"They need to make it more interesting. I'm more of an Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok user, I usually use YouTube though so they should use things like that, get it up on social media. I would say TikTok would probably be a good one to use."

Vote.je has taken these views on board and started its own TikTok channel in the run up to the election, posting short and snappy videos telling younger islanders why they should be voting, how to do it and where to find more information.

• Vote.je TikTok social media channel

Highlands student Ella MacKenzie says as well as improving communication on why it is important to vote, the government needs to offer practical support on how to do so.

She explained: "I think maybe we should be able to vote together, like have a session where you can literally vote together in school time because often our parents do not have time to talk us through the candidates and guide us through the process."

The States Greffe, which provides support to the States Assembly, has looked into setting up polling stations in schools but can not do this yet because there is currently no central electoral register.

Staff from Vote.je are visiting schools to answer any questions and help students register to vote online.

• An explainer video about the election changes from Vote.je

Two new features of the 2022 election are postal voting and pre-polling at St Paul's, which aims to make the process more convenient because it gives islanders a longer time frame in which to vote.

Some say those are superficial fixes for a problem that runs deep throughout the community.

English Teacher Paul Bisson has worked with young people for years.

He said: "50 to 60% of the electorate don't bother voting either because they can't find a candidate they like that fits them perfectly, or they don't understand the system, or they just can't be bothered.

"What kind of a message is that sending to teenagers and students and young people that 'you know what, we can't really be bothered to engage with your future'.

"We all need to make an effort to engage in democracy which is a precious thing."

Jersey's Children's Commissioner is making efforts to educate and enthuse youngsters about local politics by forming a youth panel to come up with a manifesto to present to politicians so they understand their issues.

Deborah McMillan said: "By writing down their ideas and presenting it to politicians they'll really understand the connection between what they know is going on for young people and the ballot box, because our children are acutely aware of issues around poverty of not being able to afford housing and they want politicians to take action."

Issues including the living wage and increasing the percentage of affordable homes in developments have been voted against by the current government.

Some young people say they do not see the point in voting, since they cannot see a future in Jersey.

• Students Serena and Abbi struggle to see their future in Jersey

Serena said: "Rents and prices for buying normal houses have gone so far up that people just can't afford them."

Abbi added: "I'd love to stay here I really would because I love this island but realistically it's not really an option because it's so expensive."

The consensus seems to be until politicians start to prioritise the local issues faced by young people, they are unlikely to play their part in local democracy.