Ensure you can vote at the 2017 General Election

CHECK THAT YOU ARE REGISTERED!

If you voted in May 2017 local elections you will most likely be on the register, unless you have moved house since. If you have moved then nip over to http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and do it now, it only takes a couple of minutes to do. 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE?

To vote at the UK general election you must be registered to vote and:

• be 18 years of age or over on polling day
• be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
• be resident at an address in the UK (or a UK citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years)
• not be legally excluded from voting

The following cannot vote in a UK Parliament election:

• members of the House of Lords
• EU citizens (other than UK, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta) resident in the UK
• anyone other than British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens
• convicted persons detained in pursuance of their sentences, excluding contempt of court (though remand prisoners, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners can vote if they are on the electoral register)
• anyone found guilty within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election

HAVE YOU MOVED HOUSE RECENTLY?

If so then make sure you have registered at your new address or you will lose your right to vote.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CAN REGISTER AT HOME AND AT THEIR TERM-TIME ADDRESS

Many students will have left their term-time address and gone home by 8th June, but some may still be at uni-digs, or even going off to do something exciting once their uni course ends. Besides being able to register at home they can also register at their uni address and vote at whichever is the most convenient location (choose one - you cannot vote at both!)  

AWAY FROM HOME ON 8th JUNE:  on HOLIDAY or WORKING ELSEWHERE

Don't worry, you can still vote, either by post or by proxy. 

If you want to apply for a postal vote your application must be received by 5pm Tuesday 23 May.

If you want to apply for a proxy vote your application must be received by 5pm Wednesday 31 May. This appoints someone who will vote at the polling station for you on 8th June.

"I HAVE A POSTAL VOTE BUT FORGOT TO POST IT, WHAT CAN I DO?"

Those who have applied to vote by post cannot vote in person at the polling station.

However, you can return your postal vote to the polling station on polling day, before 10pm, to the Returning Officer.

You can also return it to your local council – before they close (usually by 5pm but do check with your local council office) – if you do not want to post it, or it is too late to post it back.

"I'M HOMELESS, CAN I VOTE?" "I'M A TRAVELLER, CAN I VOTE?" "I LIVE ON A BOAT, CAN I VOTE?" "I'M LIVING ELSEWHERE, CAN I VOTE?" 

You can still register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address. This may be because you are:

• A patient in a mental health hospital
• Homeless
• A merchant seaman
• Part of the gypsy or travelling community
• Living on a boat or other moveable residence
• A person remanded in custody

To register, you need to give an address where you would be living if it were not for your current situation or an address where you have lived in the past. If you are homeless, you can give details of where you spend a substantial part of your time, e.g. a night shelter etc.

If you are staying at an address for an extended length of time then you can be considered as residing there and can register for that address. This could be a hospital, hostel, prison facility or similar place. 

You can register by filling in a form called a 'Declaration of local connection'. You can download a Register to vote form (no fixed address) from gov.uk. There are two forms - one for people in England and Wales and one for people in Scotland. Alternatively, you can get the form from your local electoral registration office.

Find the contact details for your local electoral registration office.

People wishing to register in Northern Ireland should download the declaration of local connection form from the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland website.

HOW TO REGISTER?

You will need your National Insurance number to register to vote - you can usually find this on your payslip, a benefits letter, a tax form, etc...   

Go to http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Fill in the form before 22nd May 2017 to ensure you can use your vote. 

THEN WHAT?

Once the local returning office (usually your local council) receives your application via the gov.uk website it will add your details to the electoral register and send you a polling card by post.  Some councils also send out a confirmation letter to let you know they have had your application to register and/or a confirmation that you have been registered.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU FALL ILL, OR HAVE AN ACCIDENT, OR SOMETHING ELSE SERIOUS HAPPENS AND YOU CANNOT REACH YOUR POLLING STATION ON THE DAY?

In certain circumstances like this you can apply for an emergency proxy vote. 

If you are sick on 8 June or are unable to vote because of unforeseen circumstances you can apply for an emergency proxy vote. 

You can apply for an emergency proxy vote up until 5pm Thursday 8 June.

DOES IT MATTER?

It doesn't matter HOW you vote, but it does matter THAT you vote. Don't leave the decision of how this country is governed to others. Have YOUR say.  Register today. YOU have a part to play in how our country is run. That is what DEMOCRACY is all about. 

Mayday! Mayday! Are you registered to vote?

Palace of Westminster, London  ::  Photo: Diliff / CC-BY-SA-2.5

We are into the second week of the UK's 2017 General Election campaign already! Across the country politicians of all parties, and their supporters, are out pounding the streets, knocking on doors, pushing leaflets through letterboxes, and canvassing for your support on 8th June. But, for a democracy to represent the people, it needs to be inclusive, that means encouraging everyone to vote in elections. The last government was elected by less than a quarter of the voting age population - that is of all those who are entitled to vote.

More people didn't vote at all (39.9%) than voted for any individual party in 2015. In 2015, 8.6% of the voting age population were not even registered to vote!

We have government by a minority and the only way to change that is to encourage everyone to vote, irrespective of which party you vote for. Is it right that the future well-being of a country should be in the hands of a minority of its people?

So what can you do about it? How about encouraging your over-18s to vote? Statistics indicate that the 18-30 age group are the least likely to vote in elections. They appear disconnected from the political process, and that is a worry as they are one of the groups most seriously affected by political decisions: the removal of housing benefit support for 18-24 year olds, the ever-increasing cost of university fees, the rising cost of rented and bought housing, and 38% of all zero hours contracts being held by people under the age of 25 are all serious areas of concern for a sector of the electorate who are disengaged from voting. If you think your under-30s are still unconvinced ask them to watch this!

At the other end of the age-scale, pensioners are becoming increasingly worried about the loss of the triple protection lock and about the rising costs of social care, whilst WASPI women like me, who were born after 1953, have seen their pension age jump suddenly from 60 to 66 or 67 rather than the gradual increase they were promised. All of this adds up to the need to make sure that we have a representative government on 9th June, rather than one elected by a minority. So please make sure you are registered to vote, make sure your over-18s are registered to vote, then on Election Day make sure you go and vote. It is the only way to ensure a representative democracy for our country!