Today, Rishi Sunak (who is either dishy, meh or a rat face… depending on who you ask) announced that there will be a general election on the 4th July 2024. For those of you new to politics, a general election is where we decide who is our MP (member of parliament) for the next 4-5 years. Assuming there’s no snap general election in the meantime. The leader of the party that has enough MPs to form a government becomes the Prime Minister.

Everyone aged 18+ on the 4th July who is a British, Irish or qualifying commonwealth citizen is entitled to vote baring they aren’t legally excluded from voting. Now I could do a whole piece about why you should and that might be a future blog post. For now, I’m going to explain the 4 things you need to get ticked off

The first thing you need to do if you haven’t already done so is register to vote.

It’s quick, free and you can do it from any device with internet capabilities. If you know people who are technologically illiterate, there is also a form that can be downloaded and completed by hand. Fun fact, being on the electoral roll also helps with your credit score.

If you’re a student, you are able to register to vote at both your home and term time addresses. In a general election YOU CAN ONLY VOTE AT ONE OF YOUR TWO REGISTERED ADDRESSES!

Next step: get an accepted form of photo ID if you haven’t already got one.

Accepted forms include:

• A UK/EU issued drivers license, this can be a provisional or full license.
• A UK/EU passport
• A card with the PASS hologram.
• A voter authority certificate (a one off form of ID used solely to vote in elections)

After this: Decide who you want to vote for.

For some of you like members of a particular political party, this will be a very easy decision. For a lot of you (myself included), it’s going to be a lot harder. So what should you do if you are like me and identify as politically homeless.

1. Decide what issues are most important to you and your family. For example, I will be looking for a candidate who has support in place for people who disabilities regardless of age, a plan for the education system that allows teachers to teach a subject they love and kids to develop their passions into long-term careers, an economy that supports small businesses and the workers who help make the magic happen and allows more people to own their own home regardless of income. I know, I’m not asking for much. The key thing here is that these are my personal issues and what issues that you care about are probably going to differ and you know what? That’s OK and it’s why I find politics so interesting.
2. Research every candidate’s manifesto (basically a series of promises that a candidate plans to deliver is they get elected) and what they are posting on social media. How much are they covering the issues that you care about.
3. Complete the I Side With quiz. This quiz will ask for your opinions on various issues from the voting age to immigration. Simply answer the questions as honestly as possible and it will match you up with a UK party based on % match. The only downside is that some parties that may appear higher in the rankings might not be standing in Melton such as the Count Binface Party and SNP so bare that in mind when you get to the results.

Now for the actual voting bit.

You have 3 ways to vote:

1. Visiting the polling station.
2. Postal vote.
3. Proxy vote.

Visiting the polling station is self explanatory. Every address is assigned a polling station (it’s on the polling card that gets posted prior, if you’ve never visited it before or just moved), you head to said polling station between 7am and 10pm on the 4th July with your ID. Someone then checks your name, gives you a voting card, you pop a X in the box and go about your day.

A postal vote is a great option if you plan to be away due to the summer holidays, attending a festival, etc. You need to apply for this in advance. Once you do, you’ll be sent a voting card. You pop a X in the box and post it to the required event before the 4th July.

Another option if you can’t vote in person in the proxy vote. Now for this one, you need someone based in Melton that you really trust! Why? Well a proxy vote allows you to tell someone to cast a vote on your behalf. Like a postal vote, you will need to apply for this in advance. Once you’ve applied, anyone can be your proxy baring:

1. They are registered to vote.
2. They can vote in the general election.
3. They can vote in polling station stated on your polling card.

You proxy will then head to the polling station to cast two votes. The first is their vote and the second is the candidate that you want to vote for. See what I mean about trust. Oh and your proxy is going to need photo ID. So as long as you find a nice organised neighbor who at least respects your voting choices, you’ll be fine.

So remember:

1. You need to register to vote if you haven’t already done so.
2. You need to find/apply for your form of photo ID.
3. You need to decide who to vote for.
4. You gotta vote. Remember you need to apply for postal and proxy votes in advance.

I will be inviting all the candidates to have a live Q&A with me. So if you’re in the Melton and Syston constituency, give those a watch and submit any questions you want answering prior.

Do you know who you plan to vote for? Let me know in the comments section (keep it civil please, I don’t want to be pulling out the ban hammers and hampering free speech).

Until next time folks.