To ask if you will actually vote?

I'm normally a non voter. The first time I ever set foot in a polling station was for the referendum. But this time it feels important, so I am planning to do it. I usually don't have the energy or inclination to bother, but things really need to change now.

Then spoil your paper

At least then you turned up

Why not?

Of course.

I don't get the concept that it requires a huge 'effort' to vote...

I think that the concept of not voting is hugely immature.

I also like to remember that so many people had to fight for regular people like me, especially women, to be able to cast a vote and it would incredibly lazy for me not to do it.

Postal votes can be arranged if needed, so there is no reason not to take part.

They are websites that show you how to vote tactically in your area if you are keen to help a specific party.

No candidate is ever going to meet all your expectations, but there are better options that the current bunch of entitled and corrupt Tories.

Frankly people like to whinge about the state of the UK, well voting is taking action to try to improve matters.

I am always aware of the huge struggles that were needed for ordinary people to get the vote. We have a privilege that was denied to our ancestors even in the recent past. Of course I shall vote. In fact, I will take massive pleasure in playing my part in ousting our truly abhorrent government.

Of course I will, I have never missed a vote (well, maybe just one police commissioner one which I can forgive myself for!). I like to have a good moan about all sorts of issues and would like to continue doing so, and I wouldn't feel justified in that if I didn't bother to vote!

I'm from Australia originally and we have compulsory voting.* I believe in it tbh so i will vote.

Mind you, my parents who are still in Oz last time went to the polling booth and wrote down on their ballot papers how angry and disappointed they were with every party and did not vote at all. They are in their late 70s and it is the first time they have ever done that.

I feel a bit the same here with our options in the UK.

*It's not so much compulsory voting but a compulsory turn up at the ballot box really. Which is what the parents did.

But my vote doesn’t elect who I want. If you are in a seat that doesn’t change then voting for another party has no effect

This.

People keep saying that if you don't vote you don't have the right to complain about the government but under our system you aren't voting for the government, you are voting for you local MP and often your vote will make zero difference to the government as a whole.

I always voted when I lived in a more marginal constituency.

You can, there's 5 people standing in your constituency. But there isn't a Labour or Tory standing.

But my vote doesn’t elect who I want. If you are in a seat that doesn’t change then voting for another party has no effect. I’ve had the vote for 50 years and my consistency doesn’t alter. I don’t like my mp for various reasons but I don’t like what the other representatives stand for either. I’m not even sure what the least worst looks like!

Yes, it is quite a walk to the voting station so I enjoy it. If it’s a reason to get the steps in, why not. I used to love sitting up through the night as well when I can.

A non vote is always a wasted vote. Can’t complain if you didn’t get you’re vote in kind of thing.

I'm in the constituency of the Speaker of the House. So I don't think I'm able to vote in this General Election?

Yes but that’s never going to happen. A large number of spoilt ballots is as equally unlikely as a majority of people not voting. Therefore if you have no one to vote for, just don’t vote. The system will keep going without your vote because “what if everyone did the same as you” is total nonsense.

Actually when we had the first Police Commissioner ballot in Manchester - I and many others spoilt our ballot papers, it was a very large number, and it was reported on in the local news. After that Andy Burnham decided he would pick his mates choose the new person, so it became the role of the deputy mayor. Very clever move. If she cocks up, he can blame her.

Without a doubt. Never been so motivated to vote.

Of course. I consider it a privilege to be able to do so. People died in the fight to get the vote so why would I not.
We Remainers lost the Brexit vote largely because many young people couldn't be bothered to vote.

Respectfully, it isn’t.

No one pays any attention to the spoiled ballots, beyond counting them.

Its actually more of a statement to not turn up (even though I don’t advocate that) because at least some attention is paid to turnout.

No party aligns with my values. They lurch to the right or left with policies I will not support. I’m not voting for parties who have deeply entrenched views I very much dislike. Until they ditch the extreme policies I am not voting. I’m glad I’m on holiday. I’m already fed up listening to the political jousting every day. Very little about how anything will be improved just a list of goals. I could write that! It’s not good enough. Plus we cannot afford all they want. No chance. Everyone to get more pay. The modest tax changes are nowhere near enough. NIMBYs will be asked to have houses. Again. It’s been tried. We are going to train up care workers? Who are these saints we don’t know about? It’s all rhetoric and not achievable. Until there’s honesty ,the Ifs says we are all being duped, they don’t deserve my vote. The votes for women is in the past. I’m voting now.

Yes, will definitely vote.

No good moaning about the government you end up with if you make no effort to go out and vote for someone who, very possibly, might do a better job. And tbh it would be hard for any party to do a worse job, or be more self serving, than the lot we've got at the moment.

That's not true for independents especially. They're just people standing on principle. Find an indie to vote for, I'd say.

And checked to make sure they can't be counted as a vote (albeit accidentally!).

Absolutely this. People fought so hard for the right to vote. Not just for women, but before that the right to vote for all ordinary people, as in those who were not wealthy landowners- so the majority of the population. The Chartist movement of the 1830s/1840s for example was pushing for universal sufferage for men. I always feel aware of how lucky I am to have the opportunity to vote because those people and if I didn't do it I'd feel I'd squandered something they really wanted and deserved.
Yes, ok, our FPTP system isn't great, I pretty much end up voting tactically rather than for a party that most aligns with my values, but I'm not gonna just NOT vote. Or say 'my vote doesn't matter' or 'they're all the same'. If everyone did that, it absolutely WOULD matter, wouldn't it?!

I feel very, very strongly that everyone should vote, especially women.

Having said that there is no party I want to give my support to. So I am not quite sure what I will do. We might have an Independant candidate with policies I agree with.

The fifteen year limit was abolished earlier this year. If you still have British citizenship and you lived in the UK at one point then you can vote again.

No. I’ve been a resident of the Netherlands for 24 years and therefore I am not allowed to and because I don’t have Dutch nationality, I can’t vote here either (accept for council and water elections)).