Voters across Scotland will go to the polls on 6 May to elect members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The vote is now held every five years, and this will be the sixth election in its history.
Registering on the electoral roll and voting are vital to getting your voice heard in local and general elections. If you have opinions on matters affecting you, your friends, your family… VOTE and make your opinions known! What’ve you got to lose?
How do I register to vote?
It’s simple, can be done online, and only takes about 5 minutes. To be eligible to vote, you must be:
• Aged 16 or over (you can register at 14 in Scotland but can’t vote until 16)
• A UK, Irish, EU, or Commonwealth citizen with a permanent UK address
You need your National Insurance number handy if you have one, but you can still register without one.
All you need to do is go to https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and follow the instructions on the website.
When is the deadline?
You need to register to vote by the 19th of April. However, there are a couple of other useful deadlines too. If you want to vote by post you need to apply by 6th of April 5pm and to apply for a proxy vote the deadline is 27th of April.
Why should I register to vote?
There are loads of reasons you should register to vote – your local council and the government make decisions on all kinds of issues based on YOUR votes.
If you’re interested in or concerned about any of the following issues…
- Rights at work
- Education funding
- Climate change policy
- Health services
- Travel abroad
- Transport
- Rights for minority groups
- Community safety
… and many, many more, then you should vote! You could help shape your future by telling politicians what YOU want to see in your local communities and on a national scale.