Rishi Sunak, announced the next General Election would happen on 4th July 2024.
1: General Election Announced
On 22nd May 2024, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced the next General Election will happen on 4th July 2024.
The General Election is when people in the UK aged over 18 can vote for which party is in power and who becomes the next Prime Minister.
Voting is important. It is a chance to say how you think the country should be run.
The winner of the General Election will make decisions on issues like social care, housing, education, employment, and the environment.
Anyone who wants to vote in the General Election needs to be registered to vote. You can register to vote on the Government website.
You can vote in person, by post, or by proxy. Proxy means that someone else can vote for you.
You can only vote by proxy if you will be away on polling day, are registered as an overseas voter, have a medical issue or disability, or cannot vote in person because of work or military service.
2: Registering to vote
The deadline to register to vote in person is Tuesday 18th June 2024.
The deadline to register to vote by post is Wednesday 19th June 2024.
The deadline to register to vote by proxy is Wednesday 26th June 2024.
3: Photo ID
The rules on voting changed in 2023 and it is now only possible to vote in person if you bring certain types of photo ID, also called Voter ID.
You can see a list of what Voter ID is allowed on the My Vote My Voice website.
4: Voter Authority Certificates
If you do not have any of the forms of photo ID listed, you can ask for a free Voter Authority Certificate on gov.uk.
The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 26th June, but you should apply as soon as you can.
You cannot get a Voter Authority Certificate on election day.
5: How you can stay up to date with election information
For useful, easy-read guides about voting, including how politics works, how to vote and how to support others to vote, you can visit the My Vote My Voice website.
In the weeks leading up to the election, the different political parties will start telling people what they plan to do if they win the election – these are called policies.
A political party is a group of people who share similar views and want to make decisions about the way the country is run.
Easy News and My Vote My Voice will try to explain some of the ideas being shared by the main political parties over the next 6 weeks.
Easy News: UK General Election 2024 to take place on July 4th – United Response
