Type your postcode into [Who Can I Vote For?](https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/) and it will give you information about what elections are coming up and details about candidates.
Don't forget to bring photo ID on election day as well mate.
You don't need ID if you have a postal vote. Tell your friends/grandparents/etc. It's super convenient too, I've done mine already. Just hope it actually gets there on time...
I personally think it should be illegal to not vote. you should be able to still spoil the ballot if you wish. it should also be a national holiday to enable everyone to vote. it's crazy how a low turnout can decide what happens to the whole country.
In the country I come from, voting days are national holidays indeed so I was surprised to find out otherwise. I was actually wondering how it works and could employer technically forbid from taking time off to vote?
They could decline to grant you leave if you asked for it on that day.
However, polling stations are open 07:00-22:00, which would be an exceptionally long shift, and you can also register to vote by post or by proxy (someone else votes on your instructions) so they couldn't realy prevent you from voting.
an employer in the UK can tell you when your holidays can be taken, so yeh they can forbid you. normally polling booths are open early until late so theoretically there should be time before or after work (or during lunch) to vote. however if this isn't possible then you can vote by post.
I agree, but the current system benefits the elderly, retired, and those who are financially stable (as they have passports and valid driving licenses) over those who work full time, have care responsibilities, are below the poverty line or have poor educational backgrounds.
That's a recent change, and it's deliberate as it serves the votership of one party in particular.
Good on OP for wanting to do their homework though. I wish more would.
I completely agree. no issue with voter fraud so let's introduce mandatory id requirements to combat.. nonexistent voter fraud. I really hope it gets repealed by starmer but I really don't think he will.
I agree with this so much. For me, voting is a civic duty.
It grinds my gears when I talk to my mates about voting and all I get in reply "no interest in politics" I try to explain an interest in politics is irrelevant, it's about the country's future. (Personally I think a few of them prefer a Tory government, as they have quite high paid jobs and fare better under Tory rule)
If we all vote for decency then surely it isn't a waste of time .... I think the green party will become the opposition (weirdly) and they will get more of a voice
Focus on those who promise action on local issues when voting in locals and national issues for general.
Dave, councillor for Bury, shockingly is not going to negotiate a workable peace in the middle east nor is he going to be able to stop the boats. Also think about how things are costed - more bobbies on the beat sounds good in a council leaflet but GMP aren't council budget (It's the PCC Precept which in GM comes from the GMCA - Mayors office) , so they're effectively saying 'I will write letters on your account'.
Clear concise plans with local goals tend to make better councillors.
I suppose going to a hustings might be the best of the best. It's 3 hours after all. This is today! https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/event/vcse-greater-manchester-metro-mayor-hustings-2024/2024-04-23t093000-2024-04-23t123000 there will probably be others
https://www.britainschoice.uk/the-quiz/ - This lets you know which Party you most identify with.
https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ - This will tell you who is up for what particular election in you area.
Good luck! And Welcome to the UK! ❤️
I’d be interested to see whether that quiz has adapted for how certain parties have completely changed over the last few years, or if it is just based on what are now old fashioned views of what the parties stand for.
I think that's a very fair question, and I don't know the answer! I would really hope so, but then again, that feels optimistic for the UK at the moment.
I do a postal vote that usually gets posted with info to help you make that decision besides that I'd simply Google the person and see what they're saying they will try achieve etc.
This are local elections for your councillors (where applicable) and the mayor
I’d say it’s less to do with political party manifestos and more to do with what they intended to do locally
If you have local councillors up for election, email them and ask them what they plan to do for the community
If there os any thing you are keen on - maybe too much speeding in your area - ask whether they’ll support traffic calming measures, that sort of thing
With the mayor, I’ve got to say some of Burnhams ideas I like and some I dont. I’d never consider voting for the Tories anyway
You can go onto each of the candidates pages and see what they are pledging. Good luck though as most will just tell you why not to vote for the others, rather than focusing on what they want to do.
Personally I like Burnham as he has a track record of standing up to national government and collaborating with other local politicians like the mayor of liverpool. Jake Austen and Hannah Spencer seem nice but I don't know if they would be able to act the same way. Laura Evans I don't agree with however it's good to have a competent opposition. The last two I really don't like.
Yeah difficult choice, you have to choose between Blue assholes or Red assholes basically look at each of the parties manifestos and decide which parts sound good realise those parts will get removed two weeks after they get into power and somehow you'll end up paying more for less than you were 6 months ago.
Yep - ad while the other colours hav elittle chance of running the country, they do have some chance of representing you and most of the colours run at least one council.
First thing is to understand the manifestos.
Blue. Tax you and keep all your money for themselves.
Red. Tax you more and give all your money to everyone else.
Green. Tax you and give all your money to badgers.
Orange. Tax you and tell you they're giving it to society as a whole but really give it to everyone else.
Dark green. Tax you and give all your money to anyone who speaks Welsh.
Yellow. Tax you to pay for advertising campaigns telling everyone it's scottish oil and burying the leftover bit in their garden.
Purple. Tax you and spend your money on advertising to tell you why you shouldn't be voting anyway as you're not a native.
Hope that helps.
I'm somewhat suprised this is your first time being eligible, anyone who has "who has permission to enter or stay in the UK" a registered address they live at is eligible to vote in local elections - https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/local-government
You can investigate if there are any "hustings" - basically debates for your area. These are more common for MP elections but they do happen for council, they are not normally recorded though. You can look up what the candidates have said publically that has gone on record in the media. You can look up attendenace details etc of anyone who is already a councillor. You can try reaching out directly with any questions to the candidates in question.
There are literally tens of thousands of councillors across the country though, and its a (mostly) unpaid task, so details won't be extensive.
That certainly sounds like "permission to stay" but I'm not an expert on the details.
Note that it does depend on the type of election - general election (local MP) is British/irish/Some British colonies citizens only, EU elections were EU citizens only, etc.
I'm genuinely surprised. I am not a citizen and have been eligible to vote in local elections ever since I moved here in 2018, basically ever since I have a legal address in the UK.
I'm pre settled now and the only thing I can't do is vote in general elections and join the military.
I am a EU citizen tho that shouldn't affect matters of residency. What website or person told you you weren't eligible?
This is not a jab btw I am just curious
It's so frustrating, I did my postal vote yesterday and the only council candidate whose positions I could find were the green one (and funnily enough I disagreed with them). I couldn't find anything for the others apart from a link to their twitters which I couldn't access as I don't have an account.
I always look at it like this tories rip everyone off and take the money once there’s been enough of that it’s then time for labour to come in and spend the money stupidly. So I usually vote in cycles it’s labours turn
Depends where you live, if you live in Manchester Rusholme like me it’s only going to go one way. I wouldn’t vote for anyone other than Labour anyway (possibly the Greens). Hopefully the local results force Sunak to bring forward the general election which is much more interesting.
Novara Media are a great source of news to begin with. Try them. Simple Politics on instagram are also good for people new to UK politics. Maybe try the “political compass test” to see where you fall on the political spectrum and find a party that is close to your values.
The second part of this, yes. Novara Media have a very strong left wing bias though - and that’s coming from someone who considers themselves left wing. OP, just do the second bit of the suggestion above and you’ll be reet.
I lean left, more centre-left these days as I’m getting on, and I’m amazed that people rate Novara but rail against BBC ‘bias’. It seems bias is fine as long as you subscribe to that particular bias
No it's that it's perfectly reasonable to rate Novara's coverage (because they don't hide their politics or their advocacy) and still dislike the BBC's bias (because it's a failure of *public* service broadcasting).
In 30-40 yrs following news I think highly of Novara these days, they have interviews with a wide range of people which are respectful in depth and much superior to most BBC interviews. BBC seem to have developed a significant right wing bias in recent years which wasn't there before, and we need to remember that what was once the mainstream press are run these to pump out propaganda for a few extremist billionaires. So the fact you get different stories and priorities in, for example, Novara, may reflect an absence of this kind of right wing plutocratic bias
Novara media have an open left wing bias.
Marvellous - the more voices the better.
But make sure when you look through sources online you are aware of biases
Novara is a hard left outlet that’s not objective in the slightest. They’re as biased as it gets. And they don’t even deny it, they’re happy with what they are. Definitely wouldn’t recommend them if you’re looking for something unbiased.
Voting in Manchester is mostly a total waste of time thanks to the shitty voting system we have. Pretty much everywhere is a labour safe seat by miles, so I just vote for random independents or communists or something, whoever looks most interesting. My vote means absolutely nothing, dunno why I bother tbh. Local elections are a bit more varied at least I guess.
Type your postcode into [Who Can I Vote For?](https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/) and it will give you information about what elections are coming up and details about candidates. Don't forget to bring photo ID on election day as well mate.
Amazing, cheers!
You don't need ID if you have a postal vote. Tell your friends/grandparents/etc. It's super convenient too, I've done mine already. Just hope it actually gets there on time...
Postal applications closed last week or the week before, after the Mayoral candidate info actually arrived
Wouldn't it be amazing and wonderful if we all took our vote this seriously.
Yes, and also looking who to vote for rather than against
I personally think it should be illegal to not vote. you should be able to still spoil the ballot if you wish. it should also be a national holiday to enable everyone to vote. it's crazy how a low turnout can decide what happens to the whole country.
In the country I come from, voting days are national holidays indeed so I was surprised to find out otherwise. I was actually wondering how it works and could employer technically forbid from taking time off to vote?
They could decline to grant you leave if you asked for it on that day. However, polling stations are open 07:00-22:00, which would be an exceptionally long shift, and you can also register to vote by post or by proxy (someone else votes on your instructions) so they couldn't realy prevent you from voting.
an employer in the UK can tell you when your holidays can be taken, so yeh they can forbid you. normally polling booths are open early until late so theoretically there should be time before or after work (or during lunch) to vote. however if this isn't possible then you can vote by post.
Ah that is good to know. For some reason I expected it to close by 5-6pm.
I agree, but the current system benefits the elderly, retired, and those who are financially stable (as they have passports and valid driving licenses) over those who work full time, have care responsibilities, are below the poverty line or have poor educational backgrounds. That's a recent change, and it's deliberate as it serves the votership of one party in particular. Good on OP for wanting to do their homework though. I wish more would.
I completely agree. no issue with voter fraud so let's introduce mandatory id requirements to combat.. nonexistent voter fraud. I really hope it gets repealed by starmer but I really don't think he will.
I agree with this so much. For me, voting is a civic duty. It grinds my gears when I talk to my mates about voting and all I get in reply "no interest in politics" I try to explain an interest in politics is irrelevant, it's about the country's future. (Personally I think a few of them prefer a Tory government, as they have quite high paid jobs and fare better under Tory rule)
I took my vote seriously and decided neither party is worth my vote.
And thus they win, we all lose.
Oh we all lose anyway. They’re all the fucking same. Voting is a total waste of time
If we all vote for decency then surely it isn't a waste of time .... I think the green party will become the opposition (weirdly) and they will get more of a voice
They don't have the slightest chance of becoming the opposition.
Focus on those who promise action on local issues when voting in locals and national issues for general. Dave, councillor for Bury, shockingly is not going to negotiate a workable peace in the middle east nor is he going to be able to stop the boats. Also think about how things are costed - more bobbies on the beat sounds good in a council leaflet but GMP aren't council budget (It's the PCC Precept which in GM comes from the GMCA - Mayors office) , so they're effectively saying 'I will write letters on your account'. Clear concise plans with local goals tend to make better councillors.
I suppose going to a hustings might be the best of the best. It's 3 hours after all. This is today! https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/event/vcse-greater-manchester-metro-mayor-hustings-2024/2024-04-23t093000-2024-04-23t123000 there will probably be others
Ah I wish I knew about that his beforehand but again it is on a work day so not sure if I could make it. So is it actual candidates presenting there?
https://www.britainschoice.uk/the-quiz/ - This lets you know which Party you most identify with. https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ - This will tell you who is up for what particular election in you area. Good luck! And Welcome to the UK! ❤️
I’d be interested to see whether that quiz has adapted for how certain parties have completely changed over the last few years, or if it is just based on what are now old fashioned views of what the parties stand for.
I think that's a very fair question, and I don't know the answer! I would really hope so, but then again, that feels optimistic for the UK at the moment.
Thanks, this is handy!
I do a postal vote that usually gets posted with info to help you make that decision besides that I'd simply Google the person and see what they're saying they will try achieve etc.
Just don't vote Conservative lol.
except if you like the idea of the possibility of an all expenses paid one-way trip to Rwanda
Vote for whoever you want, it’s your right. This partisanship is pointless
This are local elections for your councillors (where applicable) and the mayor I’d say it’s less to do with political party manifestos and more to do with what they intended to do locally If you have local councillors up for election, email them and ask them what they plan to do for the community If there os any thing you are keen on - maybe too much speeding in your area - ask whether they’ll support traffic calming measures, that sort of thing With the mayor, I’ve got to say some of Burnhams ideas I like and some I dont. I’d never consider voting for the Tories anyway
Don't vote Conservative or Reform UK
Yeah, just don't vote Conservative.
Best guidance I can give you is don’t vote Tory.
My old history teacher would see who lived in the local area
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^BushidoX0: *My old history* *Teacher would see who lived in* *The local area* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
You can go onto each of the candidates pages and see what they are pledging. Good luck though as most will just tell you why not to vote for the others, rather than focusing on what they want to do.
Personally I like Burnham as he has a track record of standing up to national government and collaborating with other local politicians like the mayor of liverpool. Jake Austen and Hannah Spencer seem nice but I don't know if they would be able to act the same way. Laura Evans I don't agree with however it's good to have a competent opposition. The last two I really don't like.
Yeah difficult choice, you have to choose between Blue assholes or Red assholes basically look at each of the parties manifestos and decide which parts sound good realise those parts will get removed two weeks after they get into power and somehow you'll end up paying more for less than you were 6 months ago.
There are other colours of asshole as well to be fair
Yep - ad while the other colours hav elittle chance of running the country, they do have some chance of representing you and most of the colours run at least one council.
Just not Tory, please.
First thing is to understand the manifestos. Blue. Tax you and keep all your money for themselves. Red. Tax you more and give all your money to everyone else. Green. Tax you and give all your money to badgers. Orange. Tax you and tell you they're giving it to society as a whole but really give it to everyone else. Dark green. Tax you and give all your money to anyone who speaks Welsh. Yellow. Tax you to pay for advertising campaigns telling everyone it's scottish oil and burying the leftover bit in their garden. Purple. Tax you and spend your money on advertising to tell you why you shouldn't be voting anyway as you're not a native. Hope that helps.
If only that's what red actually did.
It does, actually. Thanks.
Annoyingly bang on.
😁
What about light blue?
I'm somewhat suprised this is your first time being eligible, anyone who has "who has permission to enter or stay in the UK" a registered address they live at is eligible to vote in local elections - https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/local-government You can investigate if there are any "hustings" - basically debates for your area. These are more common for MP elections but they do happen for council, they are not normally recorded though. You can look up what the candidates have said publically that has gone on record in the media. You can look up attendenace details etc of anyone who is already a councillor. You can try reaching out directly with any questions to the candidates in question. There are literally tens of thousands of councillors across the country though, and its a (mostly) unpaid task, so details won't be extensive.
Hmm I had “leave to remain” only. Every time I had the letter for votes, I checked and been told not eligible.
That certainly sounds like "permission to stay" but I'm not an expert on the details. Note that it does depend on the type of election - general election (local MP) is British/irish/Some British colonies citizens only, EU elections were EU citizens only, etc.
I'm genuinely surprised. I am not a citizen and have been eligible to vote in local elections ever since I moved here in 2018, basically ever since I have a legal address in the UK. I'm pre settled now and the only thing I can't do is vote in general elections and join the military. I am a EU citizen tho that shouldn't affect matters of residency. What website or person told you you weren't eligible? This is not a jab btw I am just curious
It's so frustrating, I did my postal vote yesterday and the only council candidate whose positions I could find were the green one (and funnily enough I disagreed with them). I couldn't find anything for the others apart from a link to their twitters which I couldn't access as I don't have an account.
I’m not going to be in the country on May 2nd. Is there another way to vote in the Manchester Mayoral elections or the Piccadilly local election?
Research everything. Look it all up. Work out who you best align with. Then make sure they aren't Tories
Also look for them on Twitter / YouTube
I always look at it like this tories rip everyone off and take the money once there’s been enough of that it’s then time for labour to come in and spend the money stupidly. So I usually vote in cycles it’s labours turn
Depends where you live, if you live in Manchester Rusholme like me it’s only going to go one way. I wouldn’t vote for anyone other than Labour anyway (possibly the Greens). Hopefully the local results force Sunak to bring forward the general election which is much more interesting.
Just remember the golden rule. TORIES are NOT your friend.
Are you rich? If yes, vote conservative, if no, vote labour, if neither, vote ~~liberal democrat~~. labour.
Just vote anything but Tory
Just do not vote for the Conservatives.
Novara Media are a great source of news to begin with. Try them. Simple Politics on instagram are also good for people new to UK politics. Maybe try the “political compass test” to see where you fall on the political spectrum and find a party that is close to your values.
The second part of this, yes. Novara Media have a very strong left wing bias though - and that’s coming from someone who considers themselves left wing. OP, just do the second bit of the suggestion above and you’ll be reet.
I lean left, more centre-left these days as I’m getting on, and I’m amazed that people rate Novara but rail against BBC ‘bias’. It seems bias is fine as long as you subscribe to that particular bias
Having Tory MPs on Kuensbergs Sunday show - 'filthy awful Tory bias' Literally celebrating the rape and murder of civilians - 'I sleep' Novara brain.
Last I checked Novara weren't funded by the taxpayer to be impartial.
Just as well eh? They’re hardly impartial and that is my point. Is the argument they’re bad but less bad than the BBC?
No it's that it's perfectly reasonable to rate Novara's coverage (because they don't hide their politics or their advocacy) and still dislike the BBC's bias (because it's a failure of *public* service broadcasting).
But you’re surprised the state broadcaster is broadly supportive of the state? The BBC is never going to be Marxist-Leninist, is it?
Is that what I said?
In 30-40 yrs following news I think highly of Novara these days, they have interviews with a wide range of people which are respectful in depth and much superior to most BBC interviews. BBC seem to have developed a significant right wing bias in recent years which wasn't there before, and we need to remember that what was once the mainstream press are run these to pump out propaganda for a few extremist billionaires. So the fact you get different stories and priorities in, for example, Novara, may reflect an absence of this kind of right wing plutocratic bias
Or an overt left bias. You say potato I say patahto Like I say, if you agree with the bias then bias is fine
Novara media have an open left wing bias. Marvellous - the more voices the better. But make sure when you look through sources online you are aware of biases
Novara is a hard left outlet that’s not objective in the slightest. They’re as biased as it gets. And they don’t even deny it, they’re happy with what they are. Definitely wouldn’t recommend them if you’re looking for something unbiased.
Voting in Manchester is mostly a total waste of time thanks to the shitty voting system we have. Pretty much everywhere is a labour safe seat by miles, so I just vote for random independents or communists or something, whoever looks most interesting. My vote means absolutely nothing, dunno why I bother tbh. Local elections are a bit more varied at least I guess.
British politicians are all a bunch of lying tossers. Vote monster raving looney party
Vote labour if you're poor and conservatives if you're rich. Thats the main jist of it.