What you need to know – the 2017 General Election.
The Prime Minister has called a snap election to be held on 8 June 2017. As your President, I urge you to register to vote and have your say on the day. Here I've written a run-down of everything you need to know.
First of all, what does this all mean?
A General Election is the chance for the British public to decide who they want to represent them in parliament. Everyone eligible to vote gets to vote for one candidate to represent their local area. The leader of the party with the most MPS after the election will become Prime Minister and form a government to run the country. This General Election is called a ‘snap’ election because it is three years earlier than scheduled.
Why should I care?
The government elected on 8 June will navigate our country through an uncertain future and it is extremely important that students have their voices heard – especially if we look at what happened with the EU referendum in June last year.
An impressive 94% of the eligible UK student population registered to vote, but significantly less actually used their vote on the day. As it turns out, more than three quarters (77%) of UK students felt negative about the result of the referendum.
This is your chance to have your voice heard – especially if you weren’t old enough to vote in the EU referendum.
How do I register to vote/do I need to?
If you registered to vote in last year’s local and mayoral elections, you won’t need to re-register. However if your details (like your address) have changed, you’ll need to re-register. Do that here: gov.uk/register-to-vote
If you don’t know whether or not you’ve already registered, you can contact your local registration office to find out here.
If you have never registered, it’s a quick and easy process - you can even do it on your phone. Just head to gov.uk/register-to-vote and fill in the questions (including your name, address, national insurance number and whether you want a postal vote). It should only take a few minutes.
When is the deadline to register?
You must register by midnight on Monday 22 May. If you miss this deadline, you won’t be able to vote.
I’m a student living away from home in Liverpool. Where do I register to vote?
You are actually able to register to vote at both your home and term-time addresses. However, you are not allowed to vote twice in any one election – this is an offence and could leave you with a fine of up to £5000. You’ll have to choose which electoral area you want to cast your vote in.
If you’re going to be in Liverpool on voting day and want to use your vote back at home, or vice versa, you can apply for a postal vote. Do that here.
How does a postal vote work?
If you’re not in the country or can’t get to your polling station on 8 June, you can register to vote by post. You’ll just need to fill in a form and send it to your local authority. All the info you need is here.
Once I’ve registered, how do I actually vote?
On 8 June, polling stations across the country will open at 7am and close at 10pm. The location of your polling station will be written on your polling card, which will get sent to you in the post.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to find out where your polling station is online closer to voting day here.
Can someone vote for me?
If you aren’t able to vote in person and are not doing a postal vote, you can also have someone you trust cast your vote for you. This is called proxy voting. You’ll need to apply in advance – the deadline is usually 5pm, six working days before the election. More information here.
How do I decide who to vote for?
It’s important you make the decision on your own and do not feel pressured to vote a certain way by anyone else
We strongly encourage you to take some time to do your own research into everyone running and their policies so you can make an informed decision based on your own beliefs.
It’s important to remember that media outlets are not impartial, so don’t take everything you read online at face value.
Thanks!
Aisling - President, LiverpoolSU
