It’s almost time to take part in democracy once more.
The general election on December 12 will see the United Kingdom decide which political party it wishes to steer the country into the next five years and deal with the continuing Brexit issues.
Current Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hoping to gain a majority for the Conservative Party and receive a mandate from the British people for his Brexit deal, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is hoping to end almost a decade of Conservative rule and implement changes to national services.
Meanwhile, smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party will also be hoping to gain votes with their strong opposing positions on Brexit.
But how will you vote?
It won’t matter unless you have registered to vote, but you may need to vote by post or proxy to have your say.
How to register for a postal vote
It is quite simple to apply for a postal vote, fill in a form from the government’s website here.
Once completed, post or hand in to your local Electoral Registration Office, which can be found here.
You must register this by
- 5pm on November 26 if you live in England, Scotland or Wales
- 5pm on November 21 if you live in Northern Ireland
You will need your personal details to hand and the address you wish your ballot paper sent to.
How to register for a proxy vote
You can ask anyone to act as your proxy, as long as they are registered to vote and it’s for a type of election they’re allowed to vote in.
You can be a proxy for 2 people at the same election, or more if the extra people are close relatives.
There are different forms, depending your reasons for a proxy vote below:
- Apply to vote by proxy at a particular election or referendum
- Apply to vote by proxy due to attendance on an educational course
- Apply to vote by proxy if you’re living overseas
- Apply to vote by proxy if you’re a Crown servant or British Council employee
- Apply to vote by proxy due to employment
- Apply to vote by proxy due to a disability
- Apply to vote by proxy if you’re in the armed forces
All the forms can be found here.
Once completed, send or hand in to your local Electoral Registration Office, which can be found here.
The deadline for the receipt of new proxy vote applications is Wednesday, December 4, 2019 at 5pm.
However, you can apply for a proxy vote in a medical or work emergency by 5pm on the day of the election , this can usually be done by email but check with your local council and Electoral Registration Office.
The 2019 general election takes place on December 12, 2019.
How will you be voting in the general election? Let us know in the comments below.
