Registering To Vote!

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I've never done this before. Do I really just need to fill in a form and send it to the Lambeth Town Hall? It wasn't this simple the last time I tried to get on the electoral register, and was told I don't exist. Don't I have to show my passport in triplicate at the town hall or swear allegiance to the Queen or something?

Are you registered to vote?

When did you do it? How did you do it?

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:17 (eighteen years ago)

Why the hell did I do it?

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:19 (eighteen years ago)

I'm serious! I think for most people, it's something that just happens (or in many Americans' cases, doesn't happen) and they take it for granted. Or does it happen automatically? I've no idea!

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:21 (eighteen years ago)

You get a letter thru the door. You fill the letter in and send it somewhere. You go round the corner to the polling station once a year and spoil your paper.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:22 (eighteen years ago)

I have never had a letter through my door, ever.

I was living in the UK when I turned 18, and as I was never a citizen, I was never allowed to vote.

I tried to register when I got to the UK, but I was told that I didn't exist - probably because I was living in a flat I suspect to have been illegal. After that, I never really lived anywhere long enough to register. Now I'm a homepwner, they HAVE to let me register, right? I hope.

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:24 (eighteen years ago)

That's weird, maybe different local authorities deal with it differently. I'm sure we get an electoral register form every year or so.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

I have never been on an electoral register anywhere.

Now I own a house, I can prove I live where I live - though they haven't asked me to prove anything, which I find slightly suspicious.

How did you get on the electoral register in the first place?

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:27 (eighteen years ago)

Does this help?

http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register/CitzSelect.cfm?officeID=224&CFID=2803743&CFTOKEN=10561973

― The Wayward Johnny B, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:27 (eighteen years ago)

I'm not asking how to do it, I'm asking how and when other people did it, anyway!

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:28 (eighteen years ago)

(And that site took me round in a giant circle anyway, Johnny.)

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:29 (eighteen years ago)

I've been doing it since I was 18, I last did it in 1997, I'm unlikely to ever do it again.

The same goes for voting.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:29 (eighteen years ago)

I got a card through my letterbox when I sorted out my council tax, I assumed it was the same for everyone. Other councils are also available I suppose.

― The Wayward Johnny B, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:33 (eighteen years ago)

What Jim said up above. Except I vote SNP and don't spoil the paper.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:34 (eighteen years ago)

This is also the first time (this past year) that I've ever paid council tax. It didn't automatically get me on the register.

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:35 (eighteen years ago)

No, because you have to fill in a form!

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:36 (eighteen years ago)

Oh, I give up. I was excited about it, everyone else just thinks I'm an idiot. Never mind.

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:38 (eighteen years ago)

No, honestly, it's just that there is an official form that gets delivered to everybody's house - the envelope isn't addressed so it must be sent to everybody. And as far as I know that's how everybody registers, although I suppose now we live in the future you can do it on the intarweb in between starting petitions calling for total deforestation of the country and free petrol for people who live outside of cities.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:41 (eighteen years ago)

Every place I've lived, we got sent a form to fill in every couple of years or so.

Also: you should get put on it when you're 16 - because they only update it every couple of years, so 16 year olds might be voters before the next set of forms are sent out.

Last time there was an election just after I'd moved, we phoned up the council to ask what to do, and they said: "oh, you're still in the same constituency, just go to your old polling station again." That was the Scottish Parliament Referendum in '97, I think - one of my flatmates, an apolitical Tory voter from Angus, wanted to make sure he got to vote because he wanted to vote No. He ended up voting No to the first question and Yes to the second, he said.

(Q1: should Scotland have a parliament; Q2: should a Scottish parliament be able to vary income tax rates for Scottish residents)

― Forest Pines, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:43 (eighteen years ago)

hahahaha

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:50 (eighteen years ago)

If I could vote SNP I prolly would. We usually have a comedy "legalise ganja" candidate but to be honest he's a bit of a twunt.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:52 (eighteen years ago)

TARTAN TORIES AHOY

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:58 (eighteen years ago)

Oh, I remember seeing him on Look North at the last election. Yup, twunt.

― Forest Pines, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:58 (eighteen years ago)

I thought the SNP was on some next level Marxist-Leninist-Ninja shit, Marcello. Like having a manifesto that consists solely of the words "ILLEGAL WAR" in a really big font.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 17:00 (eighteen years ago)

Kate

bung yr postcode in here:

http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/pcsearch/EntryPage.cfm

and it'll tell you who to contact at your council.

it is actually a legal requirement to be on the electoral roll, but only if they've like sent you the form (which is usually about October each year). apparently you have until 18 April to register to be able to vote in the 3 May local elections.

being on the electoral roll also helps yr credit rating.

i have no exciting or interesting story about getting on the electoral roll, like everyone else, i just filled the form in...

― CarsmileSteve, Thursday, 15 March 2007 14:23 (eighteen years ago)

That's the SSP, Noodle.

― Forest Pines, Thursday, 15 March 2007 14:25 (eighteen years ago)

The SNP is the only socialist party left in Scotland with a chance of winning anything. The Tartan Tories thing is always said by labour voters to scare people off (Ironic considering new Labour eh?)

The SSP are clowns and "Solidarity" with Tommy Sheridan... well im sure he's gonna end up on perjury charges.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 14:28 (eighteen years ago)

How to bring in the voters, Florida style.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 15 March 2007 17:36 (eighteen years ago)

Noodle, I don't object to anyone who opts out of voting, if that's what they want. I would only point out that most voting takes place at the local level, where the effects are less diluted, and elections deliver more immediate and tangible results (both good or bad). Upon longer consideration, you may wish to boycott voting for national offices, or Congressional reps, but continue to vote for local levies, council members, initiatives and referendums, and such. They have a greater and more immediate impact on your everyday life and are less frustrating than having your vote run through the electoral college democracy-buffer.

― Aimless, Thursday, 15 March 2007 18:24 (eighteen years ago)

This belongs on the "this dates me" thread, but I can't remember how I first registered to vote. The first time I voted in a presidential election, my candidate (Carter) won. That was a thrill.

― Beth Parker, Thursday, 15 March 2007 18:29 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, upon closer inspection I see you are a resident of the Land of the Unwritten Constitution, and We Like It That Way, Ducky. Please reconstruct what I said into britspeak. thx.

― Aimless, Thursday, 15 March 2007 18:31 (eighteen years ago)

there are two ways of registering to vote-- either get in touch with your local registrar's office, or wait until the annual canvassing of voters. some of the canvassing will be done in person, most will be a generic letter through your door. (this was all in the citizenship test materials, so it's fresh in my mind)

i don't think owning a home has anything to do with it. kate, i'm assuming you've become a citizen since you were 18? that's obviously the key.

i seem to remember that the annual thing is done late summer, like august or september.

in the US i've just printed the forms off whatever state i've lived in and mailed them in, no hassle at all. getting my absentee ballot sent over here is a whole notehr issue.

― colette, Thursday, 15 March 2007 18:48 (eighteen years ago)

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