Glasgow University Students Representative Council

On 5th May the Scottish Parliament are holding their parliamentary elections and on 23rd June the UK are holding a referendum on whether they should remain in the European Union. In order to ensure your voice is heard in these two hugely important decisions you need to be registered to vote.

The SRC are running two voter registration events on campus in the next two weeks and the details are listed below:

• 7th April, 12pm – 2pm, Level 3 Fraser Building
• 11th April, 12pm – 2pm, Level 3 café, Library

We’ll also be joined by the Electoral Commission who can answer any queries you may have about registering to vote. Alternatively you can register online to vote at http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

The deadline for registration is 18th April 2016 for the Scottish Parliament Elections and the 7th June for the EU Referendum.

Postal Votes

Remember to check where you will be for each vote (5th May and 23rd June), you may need to apply for a postal vote if you will not be able to vote in person. Download the Postal Vote Application from your local Electoral Registration Office and either email it, post it or bring it in person to them. For students living in Glasgow, see the Glasgow City Council website: Apply for a Postal Vote. Make sure your local Electoral Registration Office gets your application by 5pm, at least 11 working days before election day. If you live outside of Glasgow, find your local Electoral Registration Office online.

Voting Eligibility

The criteria for voting in both the Scottish Parliamentary Election and the EU referendum are explained below

Scottish Parliamentary Elections on 5th May: Who can register to vote?
To vote in a Scottish Parliamentary election you must be:

• 16 years of age or over on polling day
• a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union
• resident in Scotland

EU referendum on 23rd June: Who can register to vote?
You can vote in this referendum if you are registered to vote in the UK, are 18 or over on 23 June 2016 and are:

• A British or Irish citizen living in the UK
• A Commonwealth citizen living in the UK who has leave to remain in the UK or who does not require leave to remain in the UK
• A British citizen living overseas who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years
• An Irish citizen living overseas who was born in Northern Ireland and who has been registered to vote in Northern Ireland in the last 15 years”

If even after reading all this you aren’t convinced that voting is important here are 6 reasons we think will convince you to register – http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register-to-vote/why-should-i-register-to-vote