General Election 2024 – Don’t Forget Your Voter ID
General Election 2024 will be the first one to require mandatory photo ID. As ever, our polling station will be in the Orpen Memorial Hall, Lexden Road, CO6 3BW.
You can find out about acceptable forms of Photo ID at How to vote: Photo ID you’ll need – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Important Dates for General Election 2024
There are a few really important deadlines you need to be aware of in this General Election.
18th June – This is the last date you can register to vote.
Did you know that about one-third of young people eligible to vote have NOT registered? This is about the twice the amount for the population as a whole (14%).
You can register online in as little as 5 minutes at Register to vote – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Even if you think you might not want to vote, at least you can keep your options open.
19th June, 5pm – This is the last time you can apply for a postal vote.
You will have to have already registered in order to do this. You can easily do it online by visiting: Apply for a postal vote – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
26th June, 5pm – This is the last time you can apply for a Proxy Vote
If you know you won’t be able to vote in person and missed the Postal Vote deadline, this is another good way to ensure your vote counts. Both you, and your nominated proxy, must have registered to vote before you can use this service. Again, you can do it online at Apply for a proxy vote – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
26th June, 5pm – This is also the last time you can apply for Free Voter ID
If you don’t already have a valid form of ID then you can apply online using your National Insurance Number and a recent, digital, photo at Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). If you aren’t sure whether you have a valid form of ID, you can check your ID out at How to vote: Photo ID you’ll need – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
4th July, 5pm – This is the latest time for you to ask for an Emergency Proxy by reason such medical emergency or employment constraints
You have to hand these in to the Returning Officer between 5pm on 26th June and by 5pm on polling day. You can find out how at the bottom of this link: Proxy voting application forms – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
4th July, 10pm – The Polls close – this is the latest time you can vote in person
More Information for New Voters
The BBC published a really useful guide earlier this year. You will find answers to many of the questions you might not have thought to ask but might now be pleased to have the answer to.
Voting for the first time: All you need to know – BBC News.
My Life My Say
Are you a younger person? If so, although this might be the first General Election you could vote in, it’s possible you might not be convinced to do so. There is an interesting youth-led, non-partisan (i.e. not linked to any particular politics) campaign group who are keen to convince you on this. They say:
We create conversation between young people and policymakers via our award-winning flagship programme, Democracy Cafés, alongside the UK’s largest youth summit, Next Gen. Our Squad programme empowers future leaders with essential skills to lead change within their communities. And, we spearhead mass voter registration campaigns including the Give an X campaign and National Voter Registration Day to drive young people to the polls.
Find out more here.