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 makes important decisions that can change: 

• education 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.

For the last General Election people who wanted to vote needed to:

• 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.