Bored to tears with the in, out, in, out hokey-cokey of the EU-referendum debate? Sick to death of speculations about what a Zac Goldsmith or Sadiq Khan mayoralty might mean for London?
Well you’re out of luck, because we’re about to delve into the nitty gritty of exactly what’s happening in UK politics over the coming months, and what you need to know to have your say.
It’s confusing for anyone trying to work out whether they’ve already registered to vote and whether they’re even eligible in the first place, but for students with dissertations and exams on their plate, it can be even more baffling and politics may take a back seat.
However, we can’t let this happen. The voting registration system changed in 2014 so that individuals now have to register themselves, rather than the head of the household being able to do so. Students are particularly at risk of not being registered because previously many universities would block register those in halls of residence, and their term address tends to change each year.
According to figures compiled by Labour last December, the electoral register had shrunk dramatically in areas with high student populations, such as Canterbury, which had fallen by 13%, and Cambridge and Dundee West, both of which fell by 11%.
Research by the Electoral Commission in 2014 also found that young people (24 and under), recent home movers who have been at their current address for less than a year, and people in rented accommodation are less likely to be registered to vote.
Megan Dunn, NUS president, says: “With so many important elections across the UK this year, we must make sure people know they have to re-register and when, or hundreds of thousands of students are at risk of being disenfranchised.”
Here’s the lowdown on what’s coming up and what you need to know.
Mayor of London and London assembly
The London mayoral election is on Thursday 5 May, with elections to the London Assembly on the same day. These are the 25 people who sit in City Hall and hold the London mayor to account.
In order to vote, you must be over 18, live in London, and be a British citizen, an EU citizen or a Commonwealth citizen who has – or doesn’t require – leave to remain in the UK. You can vote in person, by post or by proxy. You can’t vote if you’re a British person living overseas, for example, if you’re studying abroad.
The deadline to register to vote is Monday 18 April and you can do so on the government’s website. If you’re already on the electoral register, you don’t need to register separately to vote in the London mayoral elections. Find out if you’re on the electoral register by contacting your local electoral registration office. Visit the London Elects website for more information.
Local council and mayoral elections in England
It’s not just Londoners who will be voting for their mayor on Thursday 5 May. Liverpool, Salford and Bristol will also be going to the polls. If, for example, you’re a Londoner whose term-time address is in Bristol, you can vote in both places.
This is also the case with the local council elections that are taking place in some local authorities in England on 5 May. Find out if there are local council elections where you live by contacting your local elections office (find out where yours is by searching for your post code on the About My Vote website). Or, for a full list of the participating local authorities, check out this document from the Electoral Commission (page 41).
To vote in both sets of elections, you must also register on the government’s website by Monday 18 April. You must be over 18, a British citizen, an EU citizen or a Commonwealth citizen, and live in the UK. Find out more about the English local government and mayoral elections here.
Scottish parliament
Elections to the Scottish parliament are also happening on Thursday 5 May and the deadline to register to vote is Monday 18 April. You can do so on the government’s website.
The voting age is lower in Scotland than the rest of the UK so you only have to be 16 to vote. You must also be a British citizen, an EU citizen or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, and live in Scotland. For more information, check out the Electoral Commission’s guide and the About My Vote website.
Welsh assembly
Welsh voters will also be going to the polls on Thursday 5 May to elect members of their national assembly. The deadline to register is also Monday 18 April and you can do so on the government’s website.
To be eligible, you must be 18, a British citizen, an EU citizen or a Commonwealth citizen, and live in Wales. For more information, see the Electoral Commission’s guide and the About My Vote website.
Northern Ireland assembly
Thursday 5 May will also see the election to the Northern Ireland assembly and again, the deadline to register to vote in this is Monday 18 April. Find out how to vote on the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland website – the process is slightly different to the rest of the UK.
You must be 18, a British citizen, EU citizen or Commonwealth citizen, and live in Northern Ireland to vote. Check out About My Vote’s guide and the Electoral Commission’s website for more information.
Police and crime commissioner elections
Also taking place on Thursday 5 May are elections for police and crime commissioners in England (excluding London and Greater Manchester) and Wales. These are the people who hold the chief constable of your police force to account.
To vote in these, you also have to be registered with your local authority by Monday 18 April. You must be over 18 and a British, Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen currently living in the UK. Unfortunately, if you’re a British citizen living overseas, you can’t vote in these elections even if you’re registered. For more information visit the Choose My PCC website.
EU referendum
The big one: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?”. In case you’ve been living under a rock, the EU referendum is on Thursday 23 June and the deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 7 June. Register to vote on the government’s website. You won’t need to register separately for this if you’re already registered to vote in the May elections.
Voters must be over 18, a British or Irish citizen living in the UK, a Commonwealth citizen in the UK, a British citizen living overseas who has been registered to vote in the last 15 years (if you were too young when you left the UK, your parent or guardian must have been registered), or an Irish citizen overseas who was born in Northern Ireland who has been registered to vote there in the last 15 years.
This means you can still vote if you’re a British student studying overseas. How you register to do so will depend on your circumstances – for example, if you’re abroad for a short while it may make sense to register at your home address, but if you’re away for longer it might be worth registering as an overseas elector. Either way, it’s worth contacting your local electoral registration office for advice.
Unluckily for many of us, the referendum clashes with Glastonbury. If you’re going this year, make sure you sign up for a postal vote. Emily Eavis, co-organiser of Glastonbury, says: “It’s very important to us that the young people coming to Glastonbury – and young people in general – make use of their vote in the EU referendum.
“We’ve been promoting postal and proxy voting via our website and social channels since the date was announced. And we’ve sent every person who has bought a ticket an email with the details of how to register for a postal or proxy vote, with the deadlines for doing that. I really hope we’ve been able to encourage more young people to make their voices heard.”
A recent poll by Opinium suggested that the outcome could depend on whether enough young people turn out to vote. It found that just half (52%) of 18 to–34 year-olds are certain to vote – the group most likely to want to remain in the EU. Of this age group, 53% said they backed staying in, while 29% wanted to leave. With so much power over the direction of the UK, what are you waiting for?
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