Hundreds of thousands of first-time voters are set to cast their ballot this week amid predictions that youth turnout will soar.
Despite relatively low turnouts among the 18- to 25-year-old age group in more recent general elections, commentators believe the advent of social media such as Facebook, combined with growing interest in the issues at stake, has galvanised the youth vote.
At the 2005 general election, only 37 per cent of people under 25 voted, but Electoral Commission figures show around 100,000 young people registered online to vote in the first few months of this year alone.
One Facebook group backing the Lib Dems and encouraging people to register to vote has close to 160,000 members. Meanwhile, Labour and the Conservatives both boast support groups on the site.
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