How Can We Prepare for General Elections?

So, we finally have a General Election on Thursday 4th July 2024 and now is the time to make voting decisions. This will be the first General Election in which voters must show a photographic ID at the polling station. However, what should you do if you do not have a Photo ID?

The Electoral Commission claimed that an estimated 14,000 people were turned away from ballot stations last year due to not having a Photo ID and their research also suggested that ethnic minorities, disabled people, and unemployed people were more likely to be turned away.

No one should be denied the right to vote and thankfully there are ways to apply for Voter ID. However, time is running out, the deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday 18th June 2024.

You can register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, with your name, address, and National Insurance number.

You can register if aged 18 or over on polling day and are a British, Irish, or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Another option is to vote by post, for which Photo ID is not required. Instructions for this can be found on https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote and the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024.

If you do not have one of the accepted forms of Photo ID (a few examples include; UK passports, driving licenses, blue badges, older persons' and disabled persons' bus passes https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/photo-id-youll-need), you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by going to https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or by completing and submitting a paper form to your local council. The deadline for this is 5pm on Wednesday 26th June 2024. 

This is a particularly important election, the country has certainly changed in the last few years, and not necessarily for the best. It is time for a change and the best way to enact change is by being part of it and making a difference. As Dolly Parton said, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”.