Friday, 19 May 2017

Register to vote by Monday ...the deadline looms.

ime is running out to register to vote ahead of the snap General Election on June 8.
Voters who wish to submit their ballots and have their say have less than a week left to register.
More than a million applications to register to vote have been made since Theresa May called the General Election.
A total of 1,038,877 applications have been submitted since April 18, almost a third of them from people aged under 25. Applications from those aged 25 to 34 make up another third. By contrast, just 1 per cent came from people aged over 75.
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A dog waits as its owner casts their ballot paper in a polling station on June 23 the day of the EU referendum in 2016 (AFP/Getty Images)
The figures do not necessarily mean one million new voters will be able to take part in the General Election, however. Applicants typically include people checking to see if they are already registered to vote, as well as those who are ineligible.
Here’s what you need to know about registering to vote.

Who is eligible to vote?

To vote in a UK General Election you must be:
  • a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen
  • a resident at an address in the UK or a British citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years
  • aged 18 or over on June 8
  • not subject to any legal exclusion from voting 

How do I find out if I’m already registered?

Every local authority has an electoral register. There is no online electoral roll.
To check you are registered to vote, you will need to contact your local electoral registration office. You can find their details here.
If you were registered to vote or applied to register to vote before the deadline of the May 4 local elections, you do not need to re-register.

How do I register to vote?

You can register to vote here gov.uk/register-to-vote.
You will be asked to fill out your name, address, National Insurance number and whether you want a postal vote. You may also need your passport.
The form can be completed in less than five minutes.
To find out how to register by post rather than in person click here.

When is the deadline?

The deadline for registering to vote is Monday, May 22.

When should I expect to receive my polling card and do I need it to vote?

Once you are registered, your local authority will send you a polling card in the weeks leading up to the election telling you where and when to vote.

What happens if I don’t receive my polling card or I lose it?

If you haven’t received your polling card, you should contact your local electoral registration office. You can still vote if you’ve lost your card.

Voting in person on Election Day

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on the day of the election are usually located in public buildings like schools or local halls.
When you get to the polling station, give your name and address to the staff when you arrive. You don’t have to have your polling card with you.
You’ll be given a ballot paper containing a list of the people, parties or the options you can vote for.
You must fill the ballot paper out in secret inside a polling booth before putting it in the ballot box.

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