There are local elections taking place in England and Wales on Thursday 2nd May 2024

If you live in England or Wales and you are eligible to vote, there will be at least one local election for you to vote in.

You can use the Electoral Commission's simple tool to find out which elections are happening in your area on 2nd May.

If you are not registered, unfortunately it's too late to register to vote in this election, but you can still register to vote and become eligible for further upcoming elections!

 

Why should students care?

Students make up 10% of the voting population, but our voice will only be heard if we Turn Up at elections.

In the 2019 General Elections, 15.6 Million people didn't turn up, this is higher than the number of votes for any one party.

Our future will be built by the students and young people of today. But only if they Turn Up and make their vote count at elections.


When politicians make decisions, they look at who is on the electoral register and who votes. So it is crucial that all young people and students are registered to vote.

UoG students care about the following things, use your vote to encourage the government to enact change:

  • Cost of Living Crisis

  • Quality housing

  • International students’ rights

  • Higher Education funding

  • Employability

  • Mental health support

  • Climate crisis

 

Elections in Cheltenham and Gloucester

There are 3 elections happening in Gloucestershire on the 2nd of May 2024.

  • Gloucestershire Police & Crime Commissioner elections

  • Cheltenham Borough Council elections

  • Gloucester City Council elections

 

We've put together the links to help find where you're going to need to go to vote:

Cheltenham Polling Station map

Gloucester Polling Station Information

 

Elections in England

Voting will take place for 10 metro mayors across England.

There are elections taking place in 107 council areas in England - that's about a third of all council areas.

There will be police and crime commissioner elections in all 33 police areas in England.

All 25 seats in the London Assembly are also up for election.

Click here to find out which elections are taking place in your area.

 

Elections in Wales

There will be police and crime commissioner elections in all four police areas in Wales.

Click here to find out which elections are taking place in your area.

 

Can student vote in two places?

It depends on the election. Students can register at both their home address and term-time address in UK elections.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can vote in both locations in Council Elections, as long as they are in different council areas. In Scotland, you can only vote in one location in these elections, but you can vote in another location if it is elsewhere in the UK. 

However, it is illegal to vote in more than one location in UK General Elections, Devolved Parliament Elections and UK Referenda. 

 

Photo ID

You will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in the next local and General Elections. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy.

Accepted forms of photo ID:

  • Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country

  • Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)

  • A Blue Badge

  • Scottish National Entitlement Card

  • Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)

  • Biometric immigration document

  • National identity card issued by an EEA state

  • Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland

  • Voter Authority Certificate

  • Anonymous Elector's Document

If you don't have an accepted form of ID:

You can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, if: 

  • You don't have an accepted form of photo ID

  • You're not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you

  • You're worried about using an existing form of ID for any other reason, such as the use of a gender marker 

You need to register to vote  before applying for a Voter Authority Certificate.

You can still use your photo ID if it's out of date, as long as it looks like you.  The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote.

Free CitizenCard:

NUS have teamed up with CitizenCard to offer a FREE Voter ID (usually £18) to any student or young person who needs it.

Sign the petition to get your link to your FREE ID card today - code 'NUS' will be automatically applied at checkout.

 

International students:

Students from Commonwealth countries, British Overseas Territories and the Republic of Ireland can vote in all UK elections. More information about which countries this covers can be found here.

In local and devolved parliamentary elections in Wales and Scotland all international students are eligible, but in England and Northern Ireland only EU students from countries with voting agreements with the UK can vote.

 

For more information:

NUS 2024 local elections webpage - www.nus.org.uk/local-elections-2024 

Electoral Commission: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote/students