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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on April 19, 2017 at 15:33

Theresa May has won the overwhelming backing of MPs for her decision to hold a general election on 8 June, saying it will secure “stability and certainty” as Britain prepares to enter Brexit talks.

MPs backed the government motion to hold a general election, with 522 voting in favour and 13 against, a majority of 509. It gives the prime minister the two-thirds majority she needed to overturn the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, passed by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in 2011, without which no general election could have been held until 2020.

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on April 21, 2017 at 15:15

If you will be aged 18 years or over on 8th June ensure that you are registered to vote by 22nd May 2017

Others affected will be those residents who have physically moved home since the previous was undertaken by the electoral registration officers

Use the service at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to apply to register to vote or to:

1. update your name, address or other details on the electoral register.
2. change your voting preferences, for example to vote in person or by post.
3. change whether you're on the open/edited  register.

You may need the following, if you have them:

• your National Insurance number
• your passport if you’re a British citizen living abroad

You need to be on the electoral register to vote in elections and referendums.

• Who can vote in the upcoming general election?

People can vote in a General Election if they are a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen aged 18 years or older on the election day on June 8 this year.

Voters also must be resident in the UK or have been registered to vote in a British election within the last 15 years if they are living abroad.

EU Citizens CANNOT VOTE but can still influence the outcome by campaigning for/against the prospective Members of Parliament in their parliamentary constituency

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on April 21, 2017 at 15:37

Things to remember:

• If you have children already at school, ask if  their school premises will be CLOSED for education purposes to facilitate VOTING? 
• If you usually hire a hall on a Thursday check whether the hall will be commandeered for voting activities and whether it will be possible for the usual social activity to take place!
• If you have a privately owned hall that is usually used for public voting, access will be generally required by registration staff by 6am on June 8th, the day of the election
• Some local Electoral Registration Officers will be asking for paid volunteers to help on Election Day, June 8th. ASK NOW or hold your peace

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on April 26, 2017 at 16:44

A programme on BBC Radio 4 has highlighted the problems in the  process posed to those with a learning disability (or restricted sight) negotiating the voting process 

• Engaging with the process
• Registering to Vote
• accessing the polling station and the help that the presiding Officer's and their staff should be able to offer ALL prospective voters

Mencap offer guides to voting CLICK HERE for info

Attachments:

• Easy_guide_voting.pdf, 1.4 MB

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