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General Chatter - The Boozer / UK General Election 2024
« on: June 11, 2024, 09:10:06 AM »
A reminder for folk in the UK.
As you might have noticed, there will be a general election on 4th July, i.e. an election for the people who represent us in Parliament and decide on new and updated laws. Many people are eligible to vote, including:
- all UK citizens of age 18 or over, wherever they live
- citizens of the Republic of Ireland resident in the UK
- citizens of Commonwealth countries resident in the UK
However, in order to vote, you must register as a voter. The deadline for voter registration is 11.59pm on Tuesday 18th June, i.e. one week away. You can register online, on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote You can also use this page to update your registration, e.g. if you've moved. Students in the UK can register at both their home and university addresses, but in a general election can only vote in one of these places.
There are some further deadlines that might be relevant, particularly if you will be away on 4th July:
- applying for a postal vote: 5pm on Wednesday 19th June (if you want to send your vote by post, rather than going to a polling station in person)
- applying for a proxy vote: 5pm on Wednesday 26th June (if you want to appoint someone to vote on your behalf)
If you want to vote in person, you will need some form of government photo ID, usually either a passport or driving licence - see https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/photo-id-youll-need for a full list. If you do not have any suitable ID, you will need to apply for a "voter authority certificate" (see https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate). This is free, but the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 26th June.
Please register, and please vote. This is a right that generations of people fought for - please use it!
As you might have noticed, there will be a general election on 4th July, i.e. an election for the people who represent us in Parliament and decide on new and updated laws. Many people are eligible to vote, including:
- all UK citizens of age 18 or over, wherever they live
- citizens of the Republic of Ireland resident in the UK
- citizens of Commonwealth countries resident in the UK
However, in order to vote, you must register as a voter. The deadline for voter registration is 11.59pm on Tuesday 18th June, i.e. one week away. You can register online, on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote You can also use this page to update your registration, e.g. if you've moved. Students in the UK can register at both their home and university addresses, but in a general election can only vote in one of these places.
There are some further deadlines that might be relevant, particularly if you will be away on 4th July:
- applying for a postal vote: 5pm on Wednesday 19th June (if you want to send your vote by post, rather than going to a polling station in person)
- applying for a proxy vote: 5pm on Wednesday 26th June (if you want to appoint someone to vote on your behalf)
If you want to vote in person, you will need some form of government photo ID, usually either a passport or driving licence - see https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/photo-id-youll-need for a full list. If you do not have any suitable ID, you will need to apply for a "voter authority certificate" (see https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate). This is free, but the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 26th June.
Please register, and please vote. This is a right that generations of people fought for - please use it!