Take part in the General Election
With the General Election coming up, here’s everything you need to know to make sure you can use your vote and make your voice heard.
On the 4th July 2024, the UK Government will hold a General Election to determine the next Parliamentary body for the UK. Eligible voters will determine who is the MP for their constituency (area of residence in the UK). The party with the most MPs will form a government who will be in charge of making and passing laws, policies and decisions for how the country is run.
If there isn’t a single party which wins more than half of the seats, a group of parties needs to come to an agreement to form a government together, called a coalition.
Each political party will produce a manifesto, a set of policies or promises of what they will do for the country if they are elected, to try to persuade people to vote for them.
Who can vote?
To be eligible to vote you must be;
• Aged 18 or over
• A British citizen, an Irish citizen, or citizen of a Commonwealth country who has the right to live in the UK.
• You can’t vote if you are in prison.
• Registered to vote
For full details refer to the government website.
How to register to vote?
You must be registered to vote by Tuesday 18th June.
If you’ve never registered to vote before, or you’re only just old enough to vote you will need to register to be able to vote at the General Election. If you’ve moved house or changed your name since the last time you voted in an election you’ll need to register again. Visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and follow the instructions. You’ll need to provide your National Insurance number and your address.
If you are a student and you have a home address and a University address, you can be registered to vote at both addresses, and you can choose to vote at either address, but you can only vote at one.
If you’re not sure if you’re registered to vote you can check at your local Electoral Registration Office. More information here; https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office
How do I vote?
At a polling station, once you’re registered to vote you’ll receive a polling card telling you which Polling Station to visit. You can vote between 7am and 10pm on the 4th July.
Through a Postal Vote, if you are away or unable to get to your Polling Station make sure you are registered for a Postal Vote by Wednesday 19th June via www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
Through a Proxy Vote, which is where someone else votes on your behalf. You must apply for this by Wednesday 26th June here www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote with the reason why you want to vote through a proxy. The person voting on your behalf must be registered to vote, be able to provide their own photo ID and be able to vote at the polling station named on your polling card.
You must have one of the below forms of photo ID when you go to the polling station.
• UK passport
• Photocard driving licence
• Driving licences and passports from certain other countries are also accepted, as are national ID cards from some countries, a Blue Badge or PASS card.
• You can use ID that has expired, as long as the photograph still looks like you.
There is a full list of acceptable ID on the government webpage www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/photo-id-youll-need
If you don’t have acceptable photo ID you can apply for a specific photo ID document for voting, called a Voter Authority Certificate. You can do this online, for free and will need to provide your National Insurance number and a recent digital photo of yourself. Register for your Voter Authority Certificate via www.voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/check/registered by Wednesday 26th June.
