Thursday 11th May 2017
As part of the Citizens Advice Exeter and The Express and Echo weekly advice column this week we focus on the forthcoming General Election.
The General Election in June will be the first time I have been eligible to vote. How does it work and what do I need to do?
You can’t vote in the General Election on 8 June 2017 if you’re not on the Electoral Register. You can register at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or contact your local authority. The deadline to register is 22 May 2017. It is helpful to have details of your national insurance number in order to register.
Before polling day, everyone entitled to vote will be sent a polling card. Unless you have registered to vote by post, the card will give details of the polling station that you should attend. For those who have registered to vote by post, it will confirm that a postal voting pack will be sent to you shortly.
Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on polling day. You do not need to take the polling card to the polling station when you go to vote, but it is more convenient to do so.
The deadline to apply for a postal is 5pm on 23rd May 2017.
You can apply to vote by proxy, provided you are already registered to vote. The deadline to register for a proxy vote is 5pm on 31st May 2017.
If you’re disabled, the local Electoral Registration Office can tell you about:
- physical access, e.g. wheelchair ramps and disabled parking spaces;
- low-level polling booths; and
- equipment for voters with a visual impairment.
Every polling station must provide at least 1 large print display version of the ballot paper and a special device so that blind and visually impaired people can vote.
In Exeter, details of your local polling station can be found at: http://apps.exeter.gov.uk/dn2pollingstation/stationfinder.aspx
When you arrive at the polling station, give your name and address to the staff inside. It is helpful to take your polling card with you to show who you are (but you don’t have to). You will be given a ballot paper containing a list of those you can vote for – this will show their name, address and if they are standing for a political party and the name of that party. It may also show a party emblem if it has been requested by the candidate.
- Take your ballot paper into the polling booth.
- Follow the instructions on the notices in the polling booth and on the top of the ballot paper to vote. You do not need to do anything more than place a cross in the box alongside the name of the candidate you wish to vote for. You can only vote for one candidate.
- Once you have done this, put your ballot paper in the ballot box.
It’s as simple as that!
If you are voting by post, you also need to sign a separate form and include your date of birth so that the local Electoral Registration Office can compare it with their records. Don’t forget to send back this form and your completed ballot paper in the envelope provided in plenty of time so that it can be included.
More information can be found at: www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/voting
Look out for our column next week when we focus on job references.
The information contained in these articles does not constitute advice. Citizens Advice Exeter and The Express and Echo accept no liability for the information published. Citizens Advice Exeter is unable to respond to individual requests for advice through these columns. Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most up-to-date version, please visit the Citizens Advice website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk