What is voting?
What is voting?
People with a learning disability have as much right to vote as anyone else.
This guide explains what voting is and who can vote
When a group of people vote, it is called an election.
There are different elections in the UK that we can vote in.
We vote for someone to represent us and make decisions for us.
They make important decisions that can affect people’s lives.
For example,
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council Tax is the money that people pay to the council. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work.
makes important decisions that can change:
-
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
services
- how people with a learning disability get support
- how people with a learning disability get healthcare
Local councils make decisions about lots of issues like:
- how often your rubbish is collected
- improving the roads in your area
- making local sports facilities better
You might also hear local councils called local government or local authorities.
The people who represent you in local councils are called councillors.
Different councillors will have different ideas about the best way to run local services.
Who can vote?
To vote in the 2024 General Election, you must:
- be registered to vote
- be 18 or over on the day of the election (called the ‘polling day’)
- be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
- live at an address in the UK or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
- not be legally excluded from voting
You have to be registered if you want to vote.
You can find out more about how to register to vote on the My Vote My Voice website.
If you want to vote in person, you will need to have identification (ID) to prove who you are.
You can find out more about what kinds of ID are OK and what to do if you don't have any ID on with this easy read guide.
This
easy read
Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing.
was created on 23 May 2024