It is more important than ever to get your voice heard and exercise the right to vote. Stack has put together this handy guide to everything you need to know and make your vote on December the 12th.

Registering to vote:

First things first, if you want to vote you must be registered. You can register to vote online or by post.

You can register to vote if you are:

• 18+ years old (or 16+ in Scotland)
• A UK citizen (or an Irish, EU or Commonwealth citizen with a permanent UK address)

Deadlines for the December 2019 General Election:

• Voting in person at a polling station
  The deadline to register for this is 11:59pm on 26th November 2019.
• Voting by post or a proxy voting by post
  The deadline to register for this is 5pm on 26th November 2019.
• Proxy vote (not postal)
  The deadline to register for this is 5pm on 4th December 2019.

To register to vote you will need to know:

• Which country you live in
• Your nationality
• Your full name and date of birth
• Your National Insurance Number
• Your address, and previous address if you have moved in the last 12 months.

You can register to vote by post by filling in a form and sending it to your local electoral office.

Download the registration form here.

You can register to vote online by following the instructions on the website.

Register to vote on the gov.uk website.

How to vote:

There are two ways to vote. You can either do it in person at the polling station or using a postal vote.

Voting in person at the polling station:

• You have to go to your location polling station, which is a place in your neighbourhood designated to take votes on Election Day.
• When you get there, you have to confirm your address to ensure you are registered to vote.
• You will then get a ballot paper which has a list of people you an vote for on it.
• You can then take that to a small booth where you can decide who you want to vote for and once you’ve decided you can put a tick next to the person.
• When you have completed this, fold it in half and put it in the box.

Getting support to vote at a polling station:

• If you need help when you are at the polling station that is completely fine.
• There is someone called an Electoral Officer who can help you.
• All you need to explain how you can best be supported and they will do their best to do so.

Voting by post:

• Voting by post means you will get your voting paper sent to you. You can complete this in your own time and post it to the Electoral Office.
• A postal vote means you are still able to vote even if you’re busy, on holiday, can’t travel or need some more time to think about it.

How to vote by post:

• You will receive your postal poll card in the post.
• You can complete this in your own time and with support if you need it.
• Follow the instructions on the card and put your paper in the enveloper provided. Then all you need to do is send it off.

Voting is becoming more accessible and it is becoming easier to vote in general elections, local elections and referendums.

Make your vote count on December the 12th!

For more useful resources visit our blog.