MNHQ here: are YOU registered to vote? You have until November 26!

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

It's Christmas for politics fans (and, er, just plain Christmas for everyone else) as we approach the UK's incredibly festive General Election on December 12.

We know MNers tend to be keen voters (more than 90% of you told us you would definitely vote in the 2017 General Election, which is comparatively high).

But just in case you've suddenly realised that you haven't registered - or aren't sure whether you have - you still have some time to check and take action so that you can exercise your franchise.

Here's some information from our friends in Parliament's engagement team... plus (scroll down) a reminder that you can see Parliament for free during the election campaign (check out Richard II's hammerbeam roof in Westminster Hall!) and that 16-24 year olds get FREE tours of Parliament over the next few weeks.

The deadline to register to vote in the 2019 General Election is 26 November. It takes just 5 minutes, so if you’re eligible, do it!

How to register to vote
"Registering to vote online is quick and easy. All you need is your national insurance number."

"You only need to register once. However, if you change your address, name or nationality, you will need to register again."

"Check your eligibility to register on the Electoral Commission’s register to vote page.
Check whether you’re already registered by contacting your local Electoral Registration Office."

Three ways to vote
"In person:
You can vote in person at your local polling station. Approximately two weeks before the election you can find your nearest polling station on the Electoral Commission’s website. Just enter your postcode.
Here's some more information about voting in person."

"Proxy vote:

You can nominate someone you trust to vote for you. They must go to your polling station to cast your vote.

To apply for a proxy vote, you must complete a form and give a reason why you can't get to your polling station in person.

The deadlines for applications are:

· England, Scotland and Wales: 5pm, 4 December

· Northern Ireland: 5pm, 21 November

Here's some more information about proxy voting."

"Postal vote:
To apply to vote by post in England, Scotland or Wales, you need to download, print and fill in the postal vote application form (PDF). Northern Ireland has different arrangements.

Once you have completed and signed the form, send it to your local council’s electoral services team. Enter your postcode here to find their contact details.

You can send your form by post, and they may also accept a scanned copy of your form by email. Check with them first.

The deadlines for applications are:

· England, Scotland and Wales: 5pm, 26 November

· Northern Ireland: 5pm, 21 November

Here some more information about postal voting."

Who you can vote for

"UK elections work on a “first past the post” system. Rather than voting for a party leader, you are voting for a local candidate to represent your constituency in the House of Commons as an MP.

Enter your postcode on whocanivotefor.co.uk to find a list of your candidates. The list should be fully up to date from 18 November."

Visit UK Parliament for free before the General Election!

"See inside Westminster Hall, the oldest part of Parliament. Find out more."

"16-24 year olds currently go free on all available tours. Book here."

Other info
"Electoral Commission’s register to vote page.

Parliament.uk’s pages on general elections and a general election timetable."

Hope that's useful - feel free to add any other resources here that you think might be interesting - and remember: vote early, vote often*

[santa]
MNHQ

• Usually this would be against the law, but apparently we have elections or referendums every year now...

I'm registered to vote, and so is my 18yo DS. I'm heartened by the rate of new voter registration, over a million under-35s since the election was announced. I'm so glad this oft-neglected section of the voting population is finally angry enough to make their voices heard in the ballot box.
Any students wanting to know where best to use their vote, here's a link to a tool that compares your constituencies:
https://studentvoter.info/

I got DD registered earlier this year, so we are ready to vote. She's 19, and although we are in a safe Tory seat, we will do our bit.

I'm registered and my eldest and his live in gf are registered too. Never give tacit consent by not turning out. People literally dies for the right, so use it!

My kids registered as soon as they were old enough. Why do Mumsnet think it their responsibility . Unless there is some other motive.

thank you @RowanMumsnet and others who have helped compile this

this is very useful information

Why do Mumsnet think it their responsibility . Unless there is some other motive.
gingham Not everything has a hidden motive. This is just the equivalent of a public service announcement. No-one is suggesting that you register to vote for a specific candidate.

I've just sent off for my postal vote! Unfortunately I'm away from home on the 12th so can't get to my local polling station, but I will still be voting! So thankful there are multiple ways to vote.

don't forget to tick the box opting out of the edited register. Unless you like a ton of junk mail, that is.

If anyone finds a link to a website that sets out each party's aims / promises on all the 'big topics' (once all the manifestoes are published) I'd love to see that again.
I shared one that someone linked to about 2 or 3 elections ago, but couldn't find any for the more recent elections.

I'm looking for a 'table' with all parties listed on one axis and then 'Brexit' 'NHS' 'Education' 'Taxes' 'Privatisation of Industries' 'Defence Budget' 'Environmental Promises' etc etc on the other axis, so we can look and compare without having to sit through the pantomime that the Party Political Broadcasts or the 'Head to Head Televised debate's are.

Thank you!

Today is National #MuslimsVote Registration Day (organised by MCB)

I hope that really does have the desired effect.

@BackforGood there's one on the BBC News website, you can sort by party and/or topic:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50291676?app=news.election.2019.story.50291676.page

Backfor There's a website called isidewith.com, which seems quite good. However, I'm not going to take its advice, as the party I'm most aligned to (Green) has not a snowball in hell's chance of picking up even 10% of the local vote. My vote is going to the party most likely to reduce the Tory majority, particularly after seeing Priti Patel saying it's not the government's fault we've got so much poverty in this country.

Thank you SO much - both @InMySpareTime and @twofingerstoEverything. Exactly what I was after. I will share with my 18 yr old first time voter and hopefully some of her friends.

BackforGood, I would suggest also making sure your 18-year-old understands how the electoral system in this country works so that he/she can make an informed decision as to whether to vote tactically. The following is an explanation I posted on another thread which hopefully explains the system clearly.

Broadly, a party gets to form a government by having a majority of MPs in Parliament or (if no party has a majority, ie if there is a "hung" Parliament) by getting enough support from another party to be able to get its business voted through Parliament. The UK is divided into areas known as constituencies. Each constituency has one MP and that will be the person who gets the most votes in that constituency. That is known as the "first past the post" system, and it can produce strange results, eg imagine if a constituency has 60% of voters who want an anti-Brexit candidate and 40% who want a pro-Brexit candidate, but the anti-Brexit vote is split 50/50 between Party A and Party B whereas the pro-Brexit vote all goes to Party C, it is Party C's candidate who will become the MP for that constituency even though 60% do not like Party C's policy on Brexit. (I use Brexit to illustrate my point, but obviously in real life not everyone bases their vote on their views on Brexit.) In practice, in lots of constituencies, there are only two candidates who stand a chance of winning, so if A and B are the two candidates who stand a chance and you really don't like candidate A, you might think it makes sense to vote for candidate B who stands a chance of beating A even though the candidate you really like is candidate C.

Thanks HereIsMyReply - We've done all that.

In our constituency, every vote does count though, so I always encourage people to vote for who they think the best candidate is. I wish the media would stop trying to convince everyone that there are 'only two parties in it' - it is somewhat self perpetuating.

bumping
register to vote
read up about party manifestos and your local candidates

In our constituency, every vote does count though, so I always encourage people to vote for who they think the best candidate is. I wish the media would stop trying to convince everyone that there are 'only two parties in it' - it is somewhat self perpetuating.

You're very lucky then. Lots of us live in safe seats. My own has never, ever had a non-Conservative MP, despite boundary changes over the past century. We are deep in 'donkey in blue rosette' territory here. In order to oust the MP, a concerted effort of tactical voting would be required, and many people would prefer not to have their first choice candidate if it meant getting the incumbent out and accepting a 'second choice' MP. If you live in a place where your vote counts, you may not understand the frustration of seeing the same - mediocre - MP returned again and again. Unfortunately, tactical voting won't (yet) make much difference here, but in our neighbouring constituency has turned a safe seat into a marginal. We are hoping to see a real change in that constituency post GE. If we do, I think it will give future voters there more confidence to vote for the candidate they want, rather than staying at home/feeling it's pointless even bothering because the result is such a foregone conclusion.

If you live in a place where your vote counts, you may not understand the frustration of seeing the same - mediocre - MP returned again and again.

Well, 25 years ago this WAS a safe seat, and that has been eradicated over time.
However, change will never happen whilst so much of the media presents the idea that there are only two options all the time.
DH says this a lot - that there's no point in voting for who he wants to as they won't get in. Well, just imagine how many other people thinking like that could make a difference. No, not in the constituencies where they parachute in the potential PMs, but there's a lot of constituencies out there where all the non voters and tactical voters could get their preferred candidate over the line if they believed.
Apparently there were 14 seats where the margin was under 100 last time, and I understand one where it was just 2 votes!. These constituencies are just as important as the ones the mainstream media seem to see, IMO.
Until the polling stations close, EVERY candidate ought to be treated equally.

Well, 25 years ago this WAS a safe seat, and that has been eradicated over time.
Unfortunately, in the case of my own constituency, this has been a safe seat since the constituency was created in 1918 when the Conservatives were Conservatives and Unionists. There has literally been no non-Conservative in power here for over a century. Locally, banding together and tactically voting is our best bet in terms of ousting the incumbent.

This is why I am very much in favour of Proportional Representation.

I’m registered to vote but don’t think I’ll waste my time voting can’t vote for either of the main jokes that are suggesting they run the country. and here it’s a two horse race.

The system is shit as the majority of people’s votes count for jack all. We need PR. But of course will never get it as doesn’t suit either of the main parties. And as we are in this whole mess because the torys have been trying to save their own arse, it’s not going to improve anytime soon.

This is why I am very much in favour of Proportional Representation.

Me too @twofingerstoEverything

The system is shit as the majority of people’s votes count for jack all. We need PR. But of course will never get it as doesn’t suit either of the main parties.

Sadly, I think you are probably right @lovelyupnorth

bumping

I’m registered to vote but don’t think I’ll waste my time voting can’t vote for either of the main jokes that are suggesting they run the country. and here it’s a two horse race.
upNorth - it might still be worth holding your nose and voting. Corbyn is extremely unlikely to get a majority, but returning opposition MPs can weaken the Con majority, or at least not increase it. (I'm assuming you're not a Tory fan from your comment about covering their arses...) Please vote. If we end up with a coalition, that would be preferable to Con majority, wouldn't it?

bumping as it's the last day to register today.

I've just seen an awful video on Instagram about the situation in Hong Kong. The pro democracy protesters are incredibly passionate and brave, and the police are so brutal.

In past centuries, we had to fight for the vote. Those with power never willingly give it away to those without.

Democracy is precious and we should never take it for granted. I think that no matter how flawed our current first past the post system is and no matter how shit many of our politicians are, everyone should register to vote and then exercise that right to vote.