If you haven’t already registered to vote now is the time to do so! With only 100 days to go until the Scottish Parliament Election we’ve teamed up with the Electoral Commission to encourage as many people as possible to register to vote. Unless you’re registered by 18 April you won’t be able to vote on 5 May 2016.It’s the fourth time Shelter Scotland has worked with the Electoral Commission and we’ll reach out through our housing networks, media and social media to people who are homeless, in temporary accommodation, or living in private rented accommodation. These groups are known to be among the most under-represented on the voting register.
Electoral Commission research found that only 63.3% of those renting from a private landlord were registered to vote in 2014, compared to 93.6% of people who own their home outright and 89.3% who own their home with a mortgage.
Many people who are homeless do not know that they can register to vote. Through our joint awareness raising campaign we’ll be highlighting that you can register using a temporary address, or by making a declaration of local connection to register at a location where you spend a large proportion of your time.
- You can register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
- To find out more about registering to vote, you can visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk or contact your local electoral registration office.
- To find your local electoral registration office you can enter your post code in the www.aboutmyvote.co.uk website in the ‘Your local area’ box.
We want to make sure that whatever their circumstances people have the chance to vote and make their voice heard.
Launching the Voter Registration campaign in Edinburgh with the Electoral Commission.
Remember the deadline for voter registration is 18 April 2016.
Note: You are entitled to vote on 5th May 2016 providing you are 16 years of age or over on polling day, a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union and resident in Scotland.
Find out more about the campaign at: shelterscotland.org/votereg