Will this be the U.K.'s turnout election? The deadline to register to vote is midnight tonight, and on the face of it the signs are good.

The Electoral Reform Society, which promotes participation in democracy and keeps an eye on the statistics, reports a dramatic surge in voting registration since the election was called.

Official figures show there have been 2.8 million applications to register to vote since the campaign kicked off earlier this month, over a million more than the comparable pre-deadline period during the last election.

The government data also suggests that 25-to-34-year-olds and 18-to-24-year-olds make up the bulk of this surge in applications.

Labour and the Lib Dems would likely be the beneficiaries of a surge in youth turnout, but polling expert John Curtice offers a word of caution before the pro-Remain parties get too excited.

In 2015 and 2017, the “vast bulk” of people who applied online were already on the electoral register because it is not easy to check online if you are already registered, Curtice points out.

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A late surge in registration from younger people is a familiar pattern, he says — many of them are already registered at their parental home, or have recently moved.

Until the electoral register is published next month and the total size of possible voters can be compared, there will be no indication of exactly how many of these applications actually succeeded.

However, these caveats aside, experts still expect a good turnout next month.

Despite all the warnings that a Christmas election — with its potential for miserable weather and short days — would keep voters away from the ballot box, close races with clear choices between party leaders offering very different visions for the country have long helped turnout figures.

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn could not be more different, and after surprise results in the U.K.'s last few elections and two years of a hung parliament, voters see this poll as far from a foregone conclusion.

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