Tuesday 09-05-2017 - 15:30

On 18 April, the Prime Minister, Theresa May announced a general election, taking place on Thursday 8 June.

According to the Young Voter Project, over 65's are twice as likely to vote as 18 to 24 year olds, so it's important that your voice is heard.

Register to vote here.

In order to vote in the General Election, you need to be registered by Monday 22 May.

If you want to attend the event hosted by Luca, Education Officer at The Union, you can find out more details here. 

 

If you're unsure about what you need to register, what to expect or where you'll be on the day, here is some helpful advice from the NUS:

 

+ When registering online you’ll be asked for your name, nationality, address, whether you’ve recently moved house, and for your National Insurance Number. You can usually find your National Insurance Number on your student loan letters, payslips or other official documents.

+ You’ll be asked whether you want to include your name on the ‘open register’, which can be bought by any person or organisation, and is usually used to confirm name and address details. If you only want to be included on the electoral register, and not the open register that’s fine, it won’t affect your ability to vote.

+ Students are allowed to register at two addresses, so if you don’t know where you’ll be on 8 June, you can register at both.

+ If you’re not able to vote in person on the day then you can apply to vote by post. Anyone can do this and you don’t have to give a reason for doing so. Make sure you get your application for a postal vote in by 23 May. You can apply here.

+ If you register for a postal vote, your ballot papers will arrive after 23 May. Make sure to complete them and send them back so it arrives before 10pm on 8 June. If it arrives after that time it will not be counted.

+ You can also register for a 'proxy vote' which means that you can nominate someone to vote on your behalf. If you want to do a  proxy vote make sure you apply by 5pm on 31 May.

+ Depending on your reason for being unable to vote in person there will be different forms, which you can find here. You'll have to complete the right form and send it off to your local Electoral Registration Office.

+ Once all candidates are declared on 11 May you’ll be able to find out who’s standing here.

+ If you need help deciding who to vote for, read the candidate's and party manifestos, and ensure the information comes from a reputable source. 

+  There are also various online quizzes you can take to help you see which party you alighn with most, such as http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com or https://uk.isidewith.com

Your vote really does matter, so make sure are registered and have your say.

You can find out more about the election process by visiting https://www.yourvotematters.co.uk/