Voting in the 2024 General Election

Published 03/06/2024.  Last updated 03/06/2024

This guidance can help practitioners find useful resources and information to support learning about voting in the run up to the UK General Election which will be on Thursday 4 July 2024. 

There is a huge range of different information about voting and elections available online and it can be confusing about where to look and which websites to trust. There are excellent resources available from two trustworthy sources:

Voting in local, Scottish or UK elections is of course a matter of individual choice. Evidence shows though that there are clear inequalities in who is registered to vote and who does vote.

For example, young people are much less likely than older people to be registered. People from ethnic minority backgrounds are also less likely to be registered.

Who can vote in UK elections

Most adults over 18 are eligible vote if they are UK citizens. This might a topic that New Scots learners wish to find out more about.

How to register to vote

You must be registered to vote by Tuesday 18 June 2024 to vote in this General Election. This might be an issue for anyone who has not registered before of has recently changed their address.

What constituency they are in

There have been significant changes in the boundaries of UK electoral constituencies since the last General Election in 2019. You can search for your constituency on the UK Parliament website

How to vote on election day

Voter ID. All voters will now need to show photographic ID at the Polling Station, or evidence of ID if they vote by post, in UK General Elections. This is a change in UK law since the last UK General Election in 2019.

Voting by post

The General Election will take place during school holidays in Scotland so this may be a consideration for some families.

We have mostly focused on resources around voting on this document. Learners may want to discuss many of the political issues that will be covered during the General Election campaign.

Look out for the manifestos from the political parties being published over the coming weeks.

The Electoral Commission is the body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. It is independent of governments and political parties.

They provide a range of online information and learning resources. Some of these resources are aimed at supporting school-based learning, but many more are designed to be used in less formal settings. We think that they’ll be extremely useful for CLD practitioners working with young people, adults and community groups.

The Electoral Commission Education Resources are different for each of the 4 UK nations. Make sure to choose Scotland as your location option at the top of any of the pages you look at.

Educators notes and lesson plans

A six-week programme with facilitation notes to explore different elements of democracy and politics, including how to register to vote and to what to expect on polling day. Includes links to CfE. It is primarily aimed at schools but CLD workers may find many of the activities useful.

Short Activities

A series of 5-15 minute activities to start to conversation about democracy. Very useful for CLD settings.

Assembly

A short slide show, including a useful downloadable 4 min video introducing why Council, Scottish and UK General Elections matter and how to register to vote. Not school focused.

Hold an issue based vote

Facilitation notes and slides. Content has a schools focus but can be easily adapted for use in youth work settings.

The resources for young people include a range of great resources aimed primarily at any young people but also useable with adults in CLD settings and/or for building your own knowledge as a practitioner.

They offer videos, quizzes and other information under the following headings:

  • your vote
  • campaigning
  • who is responsible: Find out about what different elected bodies are responsible for

 

Clear and concise information on the new requirements for all voters to have photographic voter ID to participate in UK General Election. Also includes how to get a free Voter Authority Certificate, if you need one.

For those voting in person, a constituency finder using your postcode and info on asking for help at a polling station. 

Those voting by post can watch a short video (1 min) about voting by post and the links to apply for a postal vote.

Who can vote? Could be useful to support some ESOL groups

Explore the data: Who is and isn't registered to vote? | Electoral Commission

Ways to get involved in democracy | Electoral Commission

Guidance from the Electoral Commission about the process of running elections, standing as a candidate, and campaigning at an election.

Democracy Classroom is a UK-wide collaboration between non-partisan democracy, education and youth organisations to support young people to engage in elections. The website contains a wide range of learning resources that could be useful in CLD settings, including slides, videos, games, posters, social media graphics etc.

Many resources will also be useful in adult learning and community development settings. You will have to sign up to the website to access resources which is free to do. Here are just some of the resources:

Shout Out UK have published voter registration voter ID requirements in over 15 different languages. Shout Out UK are a social enterprise which aims to help all citizens understand how their government functions for the recent mayoral election in London but relevant for the UK election too.

An easy read guide to voter registration and voter ID.

Simple Politics Board Game in printable format with instructions exploring stages of the law-making process in the UK Parliament.

The Democracy Box Toolkit Introduces important concepts of democracy in a storybook format.

Put your X where your mouth is: A short video (approx. 4 mins)designed for a range of audiences with engaging illustrations and narration covering the UK Parliament and government.
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Voting in the 2024 General Election

Published 03/06/2024.  Last updated 03/06/2024

This guidance can help practitioners find useful resources and information to support learning about voting in the run up to the UK General Election which will be on Thursday 4 July 2024. 

There is a huge range of different information about voting and elections available online and it can be confusing about where to look and which websites to trust. There are excellent resources available from two trustworthy sources:

Voting in local, Scottish or UK elections is of course a matter of individual choice. Evidence shows though that there are clear inequalities in who is registered to vote and who does vote.

For example, young people are much less likely than older people to be registered. People from ethnic minority backgrounds are also less likely to be registered.

Who can vote in UK elections

Most adults over 18 are eligible vote if they are UK citizens. This might a topic that New Scots learners wish to find out more about.

How to register to vote

You must be registered to vote by Tuesday 18 June 2024 to vote in this General Election. This might be an issue for anyone who has not registered before of has recently changed their address.

What constituency they are in

There have been significant changes in the boundaries of UK electoral constituencies since the last General Election in 2019. You can search for your constituency on the UK Parliament website

How to vote on election day

Voter ID. All voters will now need to show photographic ID at the Polling Station, or evidence of ID if they vote by post, in UK General Elections. This is a change in UK law since the last UK General Election in 2019.

Voting by post

The General Election will take place during school holidays in Scotland so this may be a consideration for some families.

We have mostly focused on resources around voting on this document. Learners may want to discuss many of the political issues that will be covered during the General Election campaign.

Look out for the manifestos from the political parties being published over the coming weeks.

The Electoral Commission is the body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. It is independent of governments and political parties.

They provide a range of online information and learning resources. Some of these resources are aimed at supporting school-based learning, but many more are designed to be used in less formal settings. We think that they’ll be extremely useful for CLD practitioners working with young people, adults and community groups.

The Electoral Commission Education Resources are different for each of the 4 UK nations. Make sure to choose Scotland as your location option at the top of any of the pages you look at.

Educators notes and lesson plans

A six-week programme with facilitation notes to explore different elements of democracy and politics, including how to register to vote and to what to expect on polling day. Includes links to CfE. It is primarily aimed at schools but CLD workers may find many of the activities useful.

Short Activities

A series of 5-15 minute activities to start to conversation about democracy. Very useful for CLD settings.

Assembly

A short slide show, including a useful downloadable 4 min video introducing why Council, Scottish and UK General Elections matter and how to register to vote. Not school focused.

Hold an issue based vote

Facilitation notes and slides. Content has a schools focus but can be easily adapted for use in youth work settings.

The resources for young people include a range of great resources aimed primarily at any young people but also useable with adults in CLD settings and/or for building your own knowledge as a practitioner.

They offer videos, quizzes and other information under the following headings:

  • your vote
  • campaigning
  • who is responsible: Find out about what different elected bodies are responsible for

 

Clear and concise information on the new requirements for all voters to have photographic voter ID to participate in UK General Election. Also includes how to get a free Voter Authority Certificate, if you need one.

For those voting in person, a constituency finder using your postcode and info on asking for help at a polling station. 

Those voting by post can watch a short video (1 min) about voting by post and the links to apply for a postal vote.

Who can vote? Could be useful to support some ESOL groups

Explore the data: Who is and isn't registered to vote? | Electoral Commission

Ways to get involved in democracy | Electoral Commission

Guidance from the Electoral Commission about the process of running elections, standing as a candidate, and campaigning at an election.

Democracy Classroom is a UK-wide collaboration between non-partisan democracy, education and youth organisations to support young people to engage in elections. The website contains a wide range of learning resources that could be useful in CLD settings, including slides, videos, games, posters, social media graphics etc.

Many resources will also be useful in adult learning and community development settings. You will have to sign up to the website to access resources which is free to do. Here are just some of the resources:

Shout Out UK have published voter registration voter ID requirements in over 15 different languages. Shout Out UK are a social enterprise which aims to help all citizens understand how their government functions for the recent mayoral election in London but relevant for the UK election too.

An easy read guide to voter registration and voter ID.

Simple Politics Board Game in printable format with instructions exploring stages of the law-making process in the UK Parliament.

The Democracy Box Toolkit Introduces important concepts of democracy in a storybook format.

Put your X where your mouth is: A short video (approx. 4 mins)designed for a range of audiences with engaging illustrations and narration covering the UK Parliament and government.
^ Back to top