Register To Vote

To do: Register to Vote!

The Genny Lec is coming! The General Election will be held on Thursday 4th July 2024. To have your say, you must be registered to vote by 11:59pm on Tuesday 18th June 2024.

Voting in a general elections means that you can vote for candidates that share the same values as you and influence the policy on issues you care about. Voter turnout can be key to the policy decisions. In the 2019 general election, 18–24-year-olds had the lowest overall turnout, with only 47% voting, compared to 74% of ages 65+.

But you can't vote without registering! Click here to register to vote now!

You have the power to make real change, and it all lies in your vote!

Get Genny Lec Ready:

We've pulled together some helpful links and information for you to look over and get elections ready.

General Election - NUS UK – General information from NUS which includes their Manifesto for our Future and guidance on how to vote

Can I vote in UK elections? - NUS UK – NUS Eligibility Checker to support international students knowing whether they are able to vote

Who Can I Vote For? – A website where individuals can pop in their postcode and find out more about who is standing in their area

FAQs

The General Election will be held on Thursday 4th July 2024. To have your say, you must be registered to vote by 11:59pm Tuesday 18th June2024. Registering allows you to vote for candidates that share your views.

Did you know?

You can register to vote twice if your home address and term-time address are in two separate local authorities! You can only vote once in a general election though – so make sure you consider where you want your vote to count.
Registering to vote can make it easier for you to get a credit card, mobile phone or bank account, as credit reference agencies use the electoral register to confirm your address.

Who can vote?

In England, to register to vote, you must be:

a UK or Irish citizen
a qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK
an EU citizen living in the UK

A full list of all qualifying Commonwealth + EU countries can be found here.

British, Irish + qualifying Commonwealth citizens can vote in all elections that take place.

EU citizens (other than the Republic of Ireland, Malta and Cyprus), can vote in most elections that take place. You can’t vote in UK Parliamentary general elections.

If you’re not sure which elections you can vote in, you can check using the tool on this page.

How to Vote:

You will need voter ID to vote in this year’s local elections, and in UK General Elections from October 2023 onwards.

Make sure to check if you have an accepted form of photo ID before the elections take place.

You’ll need one of the following types of photo ID to vote:

a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
a driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
a UK passport
a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
a Blue Badge
a biometric residence permit (BRP)
a Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
a national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
a Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
a Voter Authority Certificate
an Anonymous Elector’s Document

You can still use your photo ID if it's out of date, as long as it still looks like you.

Find the full list of accepted forms of photo ID here.

If you don’t have accepted photo ID:

If you do not have an accepted form of photo ID to allow you to vote, you can apply for a free voter ID - Voter Authority Certificate.

When you register to vote, you’ll be asked whether you have photo ID or if you want to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

If you’ve changed your name:

The name on your ID must match your name on the electoral register. If it does not, you’ll need to either:

register to vote again with your new details
take a document with you to vote that proves you’ve changed your name (for example, a marriage certificate)

Small differences do not matter. For example, if your ID says ‘Jim Smith’ instead of ‘James Smith’.

If you want to vote by post:

Anyone can request to vote by post, instead of going to a polling station, providing you’re registered to vote.

If you want to vote by post, you can find out how to do so here .

The postal vote application deadline is Wednesday 19th June 2024.

You do not need photographic ID to vote by post at this election.

Where’s my polling station?

The number of wards in Liverpool City Council has changed, meaning your ward name and polling station may have changed. Make sure you check where yours is – you can find this on your poll card, which you’ll receive in the post, or by looking at your ward here.

What’s my National Insurance Number?

UK citizens receive it shortly before their 16th birthday. This is 9 characters long: its format is 2 letters, 6 numbers, and a final letter.

If you did not automatically receive a NI number when you turned 16, you can apply for one online:

Here’s where you can find it:

On your payslip, if you have a paid job
On official letters about tax, pensions, or benefits
If you receive a student loan, it’s likely you used your National Insurance number in your application.
Online, by creating or logging into your personal tax account at www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account
You can apply to receive a confirmation of your NI number by post at www.gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number; you will need to complete form CA5403, which is linked on the website.
Or you can call the National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 for further advice, if you have never received an NI number or can’t register for a personal tax account.