Young People Across The Highlands Are Encouraged To Register To Vote During Welcome To Your Vote Week

29th January 2024

This week (29 January - 4 February 2024) is Welcome to Your Vote week which is the ideal time to start conversations with young people about democracy, politics, and all aspects of voting.

The Electoral Commission has created a set of online resources for young people, and those who work with them, to get the discussion started and help young people find out how to get and use their vote. This includes an overview of government and responsibilities at all levels, information about campaigns and how they work, and how young people can get involved in democracy.

The Highland Council's Chief Executive Derek Brown is hoping Welcome To Your Vote week will make everyone better equipped to engage with young people and facilitate conversations about democracy and politics. He said: "Talking politics and democracy with young people is incredibly important. They are the voice of the future and I really want to encourage young people to participate in democracy and register to vote. "

Remember to register to vote

If you're not registered, you can’t vote. It’s as simple as that. In Scotland, you can register to vote when you’re 14. But you can only start to vote in some elections when you turn 16.

Luckily, you don’t need to register before every election.

You need to register if:

you’ve never registered to vote before
you’ve just become old enough to register
The Electoral Registration Officer will send you a letter to confirm when your name will be added to the electoral register.

You need to register to vote again if:

you’ve moved house recently
you’ve changed your name for any reason
You’ll stay registered to vote as long as you live at that address and don’t change your name. When you become old enough to vote in different elections, your record will be updated automatically.

Registering to vote takes just five minutes if you do it online. If you’re 16 or older, all you’ll need is your National Insurance number. If you’re under 16, you won’t be asked to supply a National Insurance number.

To register to vote visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Alternatively, you can contact the Electoral Registration Officer on 0800 393 783 and ask for a paper application form.

If you work with young people and want to start conversations with them about democracy and voting, you can find out more at Welcome to your vote - https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/welcome-your-vote

If you are already registered to vote and wish to apply for a postal or proxy vote please visit https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter for further information.