South Yorkshire split with two weeks until EU referendum

Published 8th Jun 2016

With two weeks to go until the EU referendum, people in South Yorkshire have been telling us they're still deciding how they'll vote.

The UK goes to the polls in exactly 14 days, on 23rd June, to decide whether we'll remain a part of the European Union.

Recent polls suggest it's too close to call - with one in ten still undecided.

Roger, from Sheffield, is one of them - he told Hallam it's a hard choice for him:

"I don't know yet - my heart's telling me one way, my head's telling me another. It's something I've discussed because it is a big big decision. I think if we pull out for a couple of years, things are going to go downhill. But immigration's a big problem - there's just too many and we don't know the really cost. I just don't know."

Yesterday the deadline for applying to vote in the referendum was extended to midnight tonight after the registration website crashed before the original deadline.

But there has been some negativity surrounding both official campaigns in the debate - with many voters saying they're being put off by the bickering of the two sides.

Dr Jon Dean, a lecturer from Sheffield Hallam University, says it's been dispiriting:

"Both sides have been guilty of mass exaggeration - the creating of controversies where there probably weren't any. And I think the British people probably understand that's a necessity in a political campaign but that does also turn people off."

"Two weeks out, both campaigns are pretty certain about what their main messages are - the Remain campaign will be talking about the economy, the economy, the economy. The Leave campaign will constantly talk about immigration and freedom. There won't be any nuance in the next two weeks - expect to hear the same headlines again and again and again."

The Electoral Commission say they're expecting a record-breaking 80% turnout in the election later this month.

That's more than in the General Election last year - and almost as many as in the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014.

Jon says he thinks that's optimistic:

"I think people will start to show more of an interest but I don't think it'll be quite that high. As people continually say this is really important, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I think we could see turnout higher than a general election."

"It's a fundamental decision about how Britain sees itself in the world - about the nature and strength of the British economy going forward, and it's incredibly important in terms of immigration which obviously is a very important issue for a lot of people, especially in South Yorkshire."

You can register to vote in the election online until midnight tonight (Thursday 9th June).