Stupid question, but do you have to register in advance to be able to vote? Why is that? In Germany, every citizen eligible to vote gets the necessary documents automatically by mail.
Usually it’s one of those things you do when your move house. Every now and again they will send a form to confirm the entries are correct and if nothing has changed you just tick there box and send it back (or reply online). People who move a lot or bounce between two addresses (e.g. students) are usually the ones that drop through the cracks.
Haven’t bothered going in a while, as I live in a “safe” constituency held by the one party I dislike the least out of the two parties to choose from, but if I recall correctly, you only have to register with your specific polling station when you move to another residency. Although you also have to apply for a specific voting photo-ID for each election if you don’t already have a driver’s license or other govt-issued photoID.
Neither is an automatic process, and the only thing we get in the mail without asking for it is notification that an election is about to happen, and various adverts from each of the parties running.
Stupid question, but do you have to register in advance to be able to vote? Why is that? In Germany, every citizen eligible to vote gets the necessary documents automatically by mail.
You do. I don’t know why, really. Sounds like the German system is better!
It used to be automatic, but the Tories changed it. Probably to stop too many students voting for somebody else.
Usually it’s one of those things you do when your move house. Every now and again they will send a form to confirm the entries are correct and if nothing has changed you just tick there box and send it back (or reply online). People who move a lot or bounce between two addresses (e.g. students) are usually the ones that drop through the cracks.
Oh so it’s basically the same as in Germany, only here you are required to register if you move and it’s not called voter registration. Thanks!
Haven’t bothered going in a while, as I live in a “safe” constituency held by the one party I dislike the least out of the two parties to choose from, but if I recall correctly, you only have to register with your specific polling station when you move to another residency. Although you also have to apply for a specific voting photo-ID for each election if you don’t already have a driver’s license or other govt-issued photoID.
Neither is an automatic process, and the only thing we get in the mail without asking for it is notification that an election is about to happen, and various adverts from each of the parties running.
In most ‘safe’ constituencies the non voters would win if they were a party.
In Germany you have ‘meldepflicht’, but there is no law requiring you to register in the UK.
Oh I hadn’t considered that, thanks!