#GE2017 Toolkit

Emilymatters_80096b

G E 2 0 1 7   TOOLKIT 

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Email 

LoveYourVote_EM_heart_IG

#Emilymatters is a social media campaign to support and advance gender equality, particularly focusing on the importance of voting.

.

 

This #GE2017 toolkit is designed to signpost to more information that we hope you’ll find helpful. Please get in touch if you have any recommendations that you’d like us to add to the list.

The UK’s general election will take place on 8th June. The deadlines for both postal and proxy vote applications have now passed.

This means that you will need to vote in person on 8th June.

However, in certain circumstances, if you have an emergency that means you cannot go to the polling station in person, you can still apply for an emergency proxy vote up to 5.00pm on the day of the poll.

Please note, voters in Northern Ireland can find information specific to them via the Electoral Office Northern Ireland website.

See 5) Voting by proxy  for more information about this, including links to the emergency proxy vote application forms.

 

GE2017 Manifestos

Click on the above button to see the main political party manifestos for the 2017 general election.

We’ll be updating the toolkit and manifesto folder as the general election gets closer, so if you find the information listed here useful. Please do share our toolkit.

bit.ly/ge2017-toolkit 

 

Emily Wilding Davison

 

The date of the general election next month has a poignant connection to suffragette Emily Davison, who is the Emily of #Emilymatters and the focus of To Freedom’s Cause by Kate Willoughby.

In 1913 just four days after her brave Votes For Women protest at the Epsom Derby protest, Emily died on 8th June.

If ever there was a moment to reflect on just how important our right to vote is, given that this election is likely to set the direction of the UK for decades to come, then this is it.

1) You can’t vote if you’re not registered
2) Get informed 
3) Plan ahead 
4) Voting if you are disabled 
5) Voting by proxy 
6) Overseas voters 

.

1) You can’t vote if you’re not registered 

1) You can’t vote if you’re not registered

 


— Your Vote Matters (@YourVote_UK) May 23, 2017

  • Register to vote! PLEASE NOTE that the deadline to register to vote in the UK general election has now passed. It was 11.59pm on 22 May 2017.You don’t need to register again if you’ve already registered.
    -> Go to: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote 
    • If you’re student you can be registered at home and at uni – but you can only vote in one place on 8 June. yourvotematters.co.uk has specific information you help ensure you are able to vote at the general election.
    • You can register to vote without your National Insurance Number – It’s up to your local council to verify you.
      -> Here’s a link that will help you find your National Insurance Number.
    • Unsure if you’re registered or if you’re eligible to vote?
      -> Go to: yourvotematters.co.uk and scroll down the page for up to date and clear information.
      -> You can find a Checklist of the register to vote form questions in this handy guide from the Metro newspaper.
    • If you’re registering to vote in Northern Ireland: 
      -> Go to: yourvotematters.co.uk for information about specifics you need to know, including details on how to apply for an electoral ID card.
    • Lastly, vital information for anyone who may need to register to vote anonymously can be found in a PDF from yourvotematters.co.uk.

 



 

2) Get informed

2) Get informed


 

  • Not sure if you know enough to vote?
    -> Lots of people feel that they’re unsure of who to vote for, that politicians are “all the same.” Not true.
    -> See the Voting Counts excellent impartial overview of UK political parties.
    -> You may also find the Vote For Policies Survey helpful in deciding which the political party best reflects your views.
    -> We like the independent Full Fact Toolkit that helps you to sort the fact from fiction in the political stories appearing on your timeline.
    -> There’s also the BBC’s Reality Check and Channel 4 News FactCheck.  

 

 



3) Plan ahead 

3) Plan ahead 

.

  • Polling Stations are usually open from 7.00am to 10.00pm. – Do check your poll card (which will delivered to you beforehand) to make sure that these times have not changed.
  • Are you going to be able to get to your local Polling Station on 8th June?
    PLEASE NOTE THE POSTAL VOTE APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED. 
    -> If there’s a chance that going to vote in person would be difficult for you on Thursday 8th June, apply for a Postal Vote.
    ->Make sure your local Electoral Registration Office gets your Postal Vote application by 5.00pm on 23 May 2017.

4) Voting if you are disabled 

4) Voting if you are disabled

 

 


— Access The Vote (@AccessTheVote) May 4, 2017

.

  • Information and organisations: 
    -> Our friends at @AccessTheVote will be offering great advice to ensure you have your say on 8th June.
    -> We also recommend you look up Mencap UK, Scope and United Response who are offering very informative advice.
  • Your local Electoral Registration Office can tell you about:
    -> physical access, eg wheelchair ramps and disabled parking spaces,
    -> low-level polling booths,
    -> and equipment for voters with a visual impairment.
    -> Every polling station must provide at least one large print display version of the ballot paper and a special device so that blind and visually impaired people can vote.

5) Voting by Proxy 

5) Voting by Proxy

.

— Your Vote Matters (@YourVote_UK) May 23, 2017

  • Voting by proxy means getting someone to vote on your behalf – for a single election on a specific date, for specific period or permanently.
    -> You you can only apply for a proxy vote in certain circumstances. Find out more on the gov.uk website.
    -> To change or cancel your proxy vote, contact your local Electoral Registration Office.
  • Voting by Emergency proxy – In certain circumstances, where you have an emergency that means you cannot go to the polling station in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy up to 5pm on the day of the poll. The yourvotematters.co.uk website has more information about eligibility for a proxy vote.
    -> Application to vote by emergency proxy based on disability – Download PDF here.
    -> Application to vote by emergency proxy based on occupation, service or employment – Download PDF here.
  • Voters in Northern Ireland, please note that the deadline for absent vote applications in Northern Ireland has now passed.
    -> In cases of unforeseen illness, applications may also be made until 5.00pm on Wednesday 31 May. Please see the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland website for more information.
    o

6) Overseas Voters

6) Overseas Voters

.

 


— Your Vote Matters (@YourVote_UK) May 6, 2017


.

  • If you are a UK citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter. 
    -> You must have been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years and be eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary general elections.
    -> If you were too young to register when you left the UK, you can still register as an overseas voter. You can do this if your parent or guardian was registered to vote in the UK, as long as you left the UK no more than 15 years ago.
    -> The Overseas Voters page of yourvotematters.co.uk has comprehensive advice and guidance.
    -> The gov.uk Voting when you’re abroad page has a brief summary of the information you need an related links.
  • For anyone serving abroad in the armed forces, Crown servants and British Council employees:
    -> See the gov.uk page.

 

Too many people feel their voice, their vote doesn’t matter.

Join our #loveyourvote campaign and help us do suffragette Emily Davison proud, as we encourage more women and young people to use their voice and be heard.

 

MyVoteDoesntMatter_yourvotematters_CROP

 

The above voting resources suggestions are just a sample of what’s currently out there.

 

.
Do let us know if you’ve found them helpful and if you find any other apps or websites that you think can help voters make a more informed decision about who to vote for. We will be updating this Toolkit over the coming weeks.

Thank you!

Emily matters | Voting matters | Equality matters
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Email 

cause2

Help us do Emily Davison proud and join our #loveyourvote campaign.

LYV_Emilymatters_letters
rps20160529_161525