Top 10 Quick Tips for Voting – Sunderland One
Wayne Madden

Prime Minister Teresa May’s decision to call a snap General Election in April 2017 wasn’t entirely unusual, in fact, the last snap election occurred in 1974 and saw no less than two general elections in just six months. But as the law has changed since then, the Prime Minister’s recent action couldn’t have succeeded without parliamentary support, the following day’s resolution of 522 MPs to 13 in favor of the election meant a majority decision had been made.

Hot on the heels of General Election 2015, and a difficult “second album” in the form of EU Referendum 2016, 2017 will be the second major elections (after May’s local elections) held post Brexit in the United Kingdom.

For Sunderland, many will be looking at January’s result in the Sandhill by-election, when Liberal Democrat Stephen O Brien was elected to office with a swing majority that took the “safe” Labour seat as a potential sign of change to come. That Labour seat being vacated due to its incumbents’ failure to attend council meetings.

For many people voting in Sunderland this may be their first election in the region, general or otherwise, as each year we welcome newly eligible voters to the electoral roll, as well as those who’ve not exercised the right before and those thousands of students who join us from around the country for their University experience.

It is a common misconception that by virtue of your decision to live in the region, enroll at Sunderland University or the fact that you have grown up here that you are eligible to vote at all. Eligibility to vote in a general election is confirmed through the Electoral Register. You can register for free, and even register online, though there will be a deadline before the Election and criteria which you’ll have to meet.

To help you make an impartial, informed and correct decision, we’ve put together a list of the Top 10 Quick Tips for Voting ahead of General Election 2017:

1. Before the big day itself, make sure you’re actually eligible to vote. You must be registered to vote, be over 18 on the day of the election (“polling day”), and be a British, Commonwealth or Irish citizen. You must also be resident at an address in the UK (or be a British citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the last 15 years). You cannot vote in a general election if you do not meet these criteria, even if you are able to vote in a local election or referendum.

2. You cannot vote at just any polling station, and will be assigned a polling station based on the “district” in which you live. Information will be provided through the Polling Card you receive in the mail in the weeks prior to the election. Keep this safe for reference. If you do not get one, contact Sunderland Council’s Electoral Services to ask why.

3. You cannot vote more than once in a single General Election. Doing so is a criminal offence. If you discover you are eligible to vote at a University residence, for example, as well as your home address; you should only vote from one of these places. You should also ensure you do not ask anyone to vote on your behalf or assume your identity to vote at an alternative location, even with good reason, as this is also illegal.

4. Anyone else in your place of residence will be voting at the same station as you – if you’re going to be away from home on June eighth then making sure you register for a postal vote is essential as this means you will receive a ballot paper a few days before the election that you can send from any postbox in the United Kingdom.

You can also drop your sealed postal vote envelope and completed ballot into any Polling Station within your Council’s remit on polling day. So, for example, if you live in South Shields (South Tyneside) you cannot drop your postal vote into a polling station at St Peter’s (Sunderland City).

5. Under certain conditions, you may be called upon to act as a proxy for another voter, or ask someone to vote for you as your proxy. You will have to register in advance to do this with your local Council and your request will not always be granted.

6. The Polling Station is open between 7am and 10pm. This is a legal requirement of the vote and gives people as much potential as possible to reach their station on polling day and cast their vote. You must ensure you have entered a polling station and received your ballot paper before the clock strikes 10pm.

7. Regardless of temptation, do not take a “voter selfie” while casting your vote, as this is both an obstruction to fellow voters and also illegal. In fact, this practice can cause expulsion from the polling station and a criminal report, so avoid the opportunity to post your favorite voting face to social media or send privately to friends.

8. Remember the Polling Card? Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten, even at the polling station, as it is not needed to vote. You’ll be asked to give your name and address to confirm your identity and then issued with a ballot paper. In the event that someone else has voted in your place (known as voter fraud) you’ll be asked a list of prescribed questions and at the discretion of the Presiding Officer will be issued a ballot. Hopefully, this will never happen.

9. Dressing up as Donald Trump or wearing a T Shirt condemning the sitting Government might seem like the right behavior that morning, but such political material is banned from the polling station (albeit it International or not), this going for more obvious things like literature distributed by candidates, Rosetta’s and obvious political color coordination which may all be interpreted as signs to sway fellow voters in their decisions. Likewise you can only cast a vote for a candidate running in your constituency and your approval for another member of a party running will not be counted as a vote.

10. Having successfully followed instruction and cast your vote carefully fold your ballot paper and place it in the ballot box as instructed by station staff. You do not need to show your completed ballot paper to station staff and they will not always high five you once this has happened, but you can definitely feel a sense of pride as you leave the station having cast your electoral voice.

Whomever you choose to vote for and however you wish to cast your electoral voice this General Election, prepare to exercise your right with information and impartiality. For everything positive and impartial about Sunderland, make sure you’re picking up Sunderland One.