Election fever has hit Britain, with just two weeks to go until the nation has its say on who should lead the country. In September, before this election was called, an estimated 9.4 million Britons – 17 percent of the eligible voting population – had not registered at their current address, or even at all. Since then, some two million have registered, but that still leaves around seven million eligible voters unregistered.
On top of that is those who are registered but fail to turn out on polling day.
The 2017 general election saw a 69 percent turnout, which means a massive 31 percent of those registered lost the right to have a say in the country by not casting their vote.
Reasons not to vote vary, from unavoidable circumstances to political disillusionment or disinterest.
Campaigners are working round the clock to ensure every citizen eligible to vote does so before the deadline on Tuesday.
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How First Past the Post works
First Past the Post (FPTP) is the system used to elect each MP to fill the 650 seats in the House of Commons.
The UK is divided into 650 constituencies, with each constituency electing one MP to represent it.
When voters cast their vote in a general election, they are actually electing their local MP.
Whichever party has the most MPs elected wins the election and forms a government.
The more MPs the better, as the winning party needs more than half (326) to have a majority government.
Each of these MPs who make their way into the House of Commons are elected using FPTP – basically, FPTP means whichever candidate wins the most votes, wins the seat.
This might seem obvious, but it’s important because it means that a seat can be won by just one single vote.
For example, if Candidate A receives 51 votes, Candidate B receives 50 votes and Candidate C receives 49 votes, Candidate A wins, even though more people didn’t vote for A than those who did.
So while your vote might seem tiny and insignificant, it’s crucial to remember that elections are won at a local level.
Just take a look at these seven Tory seats that could swing the election – one of which is Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own Uxbridge seat.
Every single vote counts, and one can make all the difference. So register to vote now – HERE’S HOW.
