Voting for the 2019 General Election will take place on Thursday 12th December

The general election is around the corner; here you will find out about how to register to vote and why it is important as a student to participate.


Who can vote?

In order to vote, you must be:

  • 18 or over on the day of the election
  • A British or Irish citizen, or a citizen of another Commonwealth country who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who doesn’t require that leave
  • Resident at an address in the UK (if you’re a British citizen, you can also vote if you’re living abroad)
  • Not legally excluded from voting
  • Registered to vote


How do I register?

It is quick and easy to register to vote – you can do this online in just a few minutes. The deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday 26th November. Make sure you are registered by the deadline or you will miss the opportunity to vote and have your voice heard.

The additional benefit of registering to vote is to strengthen your credit score, which will help in renting a place, getting a mobile contract or signing up for a credit card.

REGISTER TO VOTE HERE

What happens on the day?

You will be sent a polling card in the post once you have registered. The card will indicate where your polling station is. If you forget your polling card on the day, don’t worry as you can give your name and address at the polling station.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on the election day. You can go at any time but to avoid long queues, it is advised to go in the late morning or early afternoon, if possible to you.

Students can vote using either their home address or their term-time address, but it’s illegal to vote at both locations. Voting itself is very easy, no more than marking next to your chosen candidate with pencil – just follow the instructions!

 

What if I am away?

If you are away, you can also apply for a proxy vote. There is a separate application for this, but you need to make sure you send this off before the deadline.
 

ICMP and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs)

As ICMP is registered with the Office for Students (OfS), we are required to comply with requested from Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), under regulation 23 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, for information about students which the ERO requires for the purposes of maintaining the electoral register.