1. Young people and Voting
Only 44% of year olds voted in the 2010 GE.
Only 43% of year olds voted in the 2015 GE.
Only 48% of year olds voted in the EU referendum.

2. General Election June 8th 2017
General Election and Voting
You may have heard that on June 8th the UK is holding a General Election.
You cannot do this until you register to vote…you need to register by 11:59pm on 22 May.
Manifestos (a document containing the policies of the political party) can be found on the political party’s website.

3. General Election June 8th 2017
Why register to vote?
General Election June 8th 2017

4. General Election General Election
A general election is an opportunity for people in every part of the UK to choose their MP - the person who will represent their local area (constituency) in the House of Commons for up to five years. There are 650 constituencies across the UK and so 650 MPs sit in parliament. You vote for one of the candidates and the candidate that receives most votes becomes their MP.
Usually the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons forms the Government. But 2010, no single party had a majority so a ‘coalition’ was formed between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.

5. London constituencies: 2015 GE

6. When does a General Election happen?
What is voting?
When does a General Election happen?
In 2011 an Act of Parliament was passed to create a five year period between each election.
The last General Election took place in May 2015 and the next General Election would have taken place in May 2020.
BUT an Early Election can be called if a motion is agreed by two thirds of MPs in the House of Commons. This is what happened on 19 April and the General Election will now take place on 8 June 2017.

7. Who can vote?
Almost all men and women over 18 years old can vote – if they have registered.
To vote in a UK general election a person must be registered to vote and also
18 or over
be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote
Additionally, the following cannot vote in a UK general election:
members of the House of Lords (although they can vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament)
EU citizens resident in the UK (although they can vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament)
anyone other than British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens
convicted persons detained in pursuance of their sentences (though remand prisoners, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners can vote if they are on the electoral register)
anyone found guilty within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election

8. Why should I vote?
Your vote during a General Election, helps to choose the people who run the country.
These people decide things which affect everyone, such as how schools and hospitals are run, or the decisions about Brexit and Human Rights in the UK So it is important that everyone has a say in who is elected.

9. How do I make sure I can vote?
It is very easy to vote.
You make sure your name is on the Electoral Register for your area. This is a list of everyone who can vote. You can register online.
You can contact your local council to make sure you are on this list.

10. Register to vote
The council will send you a card just before an election. This is called a polling card.
The card tells you where and when to vote. You can also choose to vote by post or proxy (where you give permission for someone to vote on your behalf such as if you are on holiday)
Thursday 7 May 2015

11. Election Day On election day, you go to the polling station.
The polling station is usually a school, local hall or public building near where you live.
Polling is another word for voting.

12. The people at the polling station will give you a list of the people you can vote for.
This is called a ballot paper.

13. Go into a polling booth and put an X by the name of the person or party you want to vote for.
You vote in a booth, in secret.
Fold the ballot paper and put it in the ballot box.

14. What happens next?
Article with a guide to ‘First Past the Post’
When voting is over, the votes are counted. The winner is the person with the most votes – this voting system is called ‘First Past the Post’. There are other types of voting system.