Today is the final day for people to register to vote.
This General Election, we are following voters as they engage with registration and polling stations for the first time.
To vote in an UK general election, a person must be registered to vote and also:
- 18 years old or over
- Be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland;
- Not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote.
People with refugee status or indefinite leave to remain can vote in a general election if they are a citizen of one of the Commonwealth countries listed here.
Our integration advisers have been helping people who have recently received refugee status who are from Commonwealth countries to register to vote.
And people like Munir below, who has recently obtained British citizenship, will also be exercising their voting rights for the first time in the UK.
54-year old solicitor and human rights campaigner Munir, from Syria, spoke to iNews last week, describing voting for the first time as a “wonderful feeling.”
“It’s a very, very good feeling to be able to vote in the UK and to have the opportunity to have my say,”
“In Syria, we didn’t have a real choice to vote for the things we really needed, but here in the UK, my vote matters and I can have my say.”
“Democracy is a wonderful thing.”
”I’ve studied the history of Scotland and have listened to what people are saying”.
We will also be hearing from people who cannot vote in this election and supporting people to attend hustings.
Find out more about our ongoing work on extending voting rights to all residents in Scotland.
