18 or older? Don't lose your right to vote

If you don’t register to vote by 11.59pm on 26 November, you won’t be able to have your say in the General Election. And that kind of defeats the point of our democracy, right? Here’s what you need to do...

Register
Ok, so this one is by far the simplest step. Get yourself registered. And do it quick. 

Set a reminder 
Life can be chaotic at times and over the festive period it can be hard to keep track of the date. (Unless you’ve got an advent calendar, of course!)

Yes, we know there’ll be plenty of reminders in your day-to-day about the General Election too, but just to be sure... it’s on Thursday 12 December. 

Work out where and when you’ll be voting 
If you’re at university, try not to get caught up with the excitement of the festive break and travelling home. Plan ahead and work out where you want to vote. Will you vote in your university town? Or do you want to vote in your hometown? Do you need to register for a postal vote? 

No idea where you’ll be on the big day? Don’t panic. If you have both a home and term-time address, you can actually register to vote twice. That way you’re covered, either way. Obviously, you’ll only be able to vote once though...

It’s also worth noting that if you do decide to do a postal vote, registration closes slightly sooner:

• 5pm on 26 November if you live in England, Scotland or Wales
• 5pm on 21 November if you live in Northern Ireland

Do your research 
You need to feel confident that you’re making a well-informed decision, so load yourself up with as much knowledge as possible. Check out the facts, policies and promises that each party is backing, and go from there.

Encourage others to do the same
Talk politics. Even if it’s as basic as checking your friends are registered and plan to use their voice too. Just get a conversation going, especially with those who you think are undervaluing the importance of their vote. 

Show up 
Don’t be a no-show, yeah? Unbelievably, a third of people who register to vote – for one reason or another – don’t actually vote! Crazy, right? 

Known as the ‘unheard third’, this percentage of people has previously been greater than the quantity of people who voted for the winning party. So be sure to turn up and vote on Thursday 12 December.