Am I eligible to vote? You can vote if you are 18 or over but must be registered with your local authority. What should I bring with me? You should have received a polling card by post and should bring it with you. But you do not necessarily need it to vote. Alternatively, bring a valid form of personal identification such as a driving licence or passport. You must vote in your designated polling station.
What happens when I get to the polling station? You will be given a ballot paper with the names and photos of candidates (and their party, if they are standing for one) and you go into a polling booth to vote in private.
How do I fill out the ballot paper? Under proportional representation, you mark the ballot paper by putting the number 1 opposite the candidate you like most, followed by a number 2 opposite the candidate you like second best and so on down. You can stop at any point or fill the entire paper.
The system is easy, even if the counting looks complicated. If you vote number 1 for a candidate who stands a real chance of election your number 2 will probably not be counted. But if you vote number 1 for someone with little chance of being elected, the vote will pass to your second choice and so on until it reaches someone electable.
Anything else? You cannot take photographs or selfies at polling stations. You also may be asked to remove badges or political memorabilia. This is to prevent campaigning at polling stations.
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