Register to Vote!

[VanCleefArpels]

As it looks like the election will take place before uni breaks up now is the time to encourage our kids to register to vote if they are not already - for many it will be their first opportunity

It is NOT TRUE that students will be “dusenfranchised” but they do need to be proactive.

Students (or anyone) can be in the roll in two different places, both home and Uni. They cannot vote twice in the general election however!

A vote may count for more in one place over another depending on whether it’s marginal. A postal vote will enable a vote elsewhere if the student won’t be present in whichever place they choose to vote. They have until 11 days before the election to register for a postal vote.

Registration is online and very easy

Yes I have always taken mine along to see my voting to encourage them. People usually put their children on the form you get at home when they turn 16 so it is ready for when they rae 18. What we did with our 5 children when they went to university was just keep them registered here ath ome but they register for a postal vote so that wherever they are at an election they can just do it that way.

I know others prefer to do it differently but that way is pretty simple - one registration at home but with a postal vote. Then I postal voting card when it comes to them at university address if they are way at that time or if it is university holidays they do it form here by post in all cases. Then when they graduate they just move back to a normal vote in person.

Isn't part of the argument that where students vote might make a difference? We live in a solidly Tory constituency. My children's votes here will make no difference. Their student towns are/were more marginal and their votes, and those of the other thousands of students, could make a difference.

This has reminded me that my elder daughter moved to London earlier this month, so I will remind her to register there.

It will be better for my DD to register at Uni because she’s in a marginal seat. Where we live a pig in a blue rosette would win so a vote for any other party really doesn’t have the same impact!

@Fifthtimelucky cross post!!

Our DS is currently studying in Australia for this academic year and he is in the process of sorting out a proxy vote. A postal vote would take too long to reach him and be posted back in time for the count.

Had just posted in Chat when I saw this thread, so I'll post the same question here. If your DC (or you) have already applied for a postal vote several weeks ago, have you received an acknowledgement? DS applied for a postal vote just before going off to university as he wants to vote in our home constituency, but he mentioned the other day that he has never received any kind of acknowledgement. I do not have full confidence in the efficiency of our local council, so am wondering whether that's a sign that they have mislaid/ failed to action DS's application.

I’d just call and speak to democratic services dept at the council - they will be able to say what the procedure is

Thanks. I'll suggest to him that he does that.

Yes we got an acknowledgement from our local council that Dd had a postal vote (applied end of September)

Proxy vote applied for as very political DD will be the other end of the country between 11-13th Dec. It will be her first General Election. She is gutted to miss it as she has always come along to the polling station when I have gone to vote.

I love election day as the whole village walks to the polling station. We catch up with people we have not seen for years. The local primary school take the children along to the polling station too. It breaks up the day for the election officials to give a quick talk to the children about how voting works.

I hope the young people of the UK turn out in droves for this election.

I hope so too. My twins have a postal vote so whether at university or home they can vote. I hope old and young turn ou t as it is always a better reflectino of UK opinion when we get a very high turnout, although I feel many people of all kinds are pretty fed up with politics and we might end up with a low turnout.

However don't moan about the result later if you choose not to vote as you are then part of the problem.

I did laught at Corbyn's awful hand clap on his latest publicity video though.... doesn't he know clapping is banned in some contexts and upsets people?

Both of mine at university and finish on the 13th December, there's only a handful that finish sooner - Oxford and Cambridge which is all politicians think about

Are most people's DC registering to vote in the university town or the home area?

DD is registered at home. It is a Tory stronghold, MP-wise, but the council went to the LIb Dems in the local elections. It could be an interesting General Election.

My DD just texted to say she's just registered for a postal vote (so no excuse that she won't be bothered in the hectic last week).

DD needs to decide what she's voting and then register/sort proxy/postal vote. Very strong Tory seat at home, but marginal SNP/Labour seat at uni. Having said that leaning towards Green and there's not a Green candidate in uni constituency.

I don't quite know how I feel about a transient student population having such a strong hold on overturning results in a town where they are only living there for 8 months a year, and then only for three or four years. They don't really care about the local impact, only the national one, and that seems a bit unfair on the settled local community. Prepared to accept that I am odd in thinking that.

How much do some politicians care about local vs national / party interests?

Many students doing a 4 year degree will spend the majority of a parliamentary term in their uni town. Seems reasonable they can vote there

interesting recent blog from Nick Hillman at HEPI

www.hepi.ac.uk/2019/11/01/more-thoughts-on-the-student-vote-and-pricking-some-of-the-nonsense/

A word of caution.

I recently renewed my house insurance and wanted to double check that DS at Warwick Uni will be covered by our home policy. I was told that if he is registered to vote at home then he is covered by our home insurance policy but if he is registered to vote at his university address then that is considered to be his main residence and he would not be covered by the home policy.

@camrose and if they’re registered to vote in both places? That seems a bit odd

Interesting point, yet another reason I think it's simpler if they just remain registered at home and have a postal vote. My older 3 all moved back after university for a few years so it all was pretty seamless as they never moved place for voting. However I do understand people's tactical voting considerations.

Do make sure your children know they could be fined £5000 if they vote in two places or commit a serious offence if they take someone else's voting card. These are not funny joke things and pranks. They are serious crimes.