Who can vote? Get on the electoral register first

The right to vote in the UK was won step by step (see "The vote was won a little at a time"). Full democracy at the ballot box arrived in 1928, and in 1969 the voting age was lowered to 18. With only a few exceptions, all adult citizens, whether born in the UK or naturalised (people who became citizens later), can vote.

Who can vote in every kind of public election? There are three groups:

The electoral register

To vote in a parliamentary or local election, your name must be on the electoral register (the official list of voters).

• If you are eligible, contact the electoral registration office at your local council to register. It is usually at the council itself, though in Scotland it may be somewhere else.
• If you don't know which council you belong to, the aboutmyvote website can find it from your postcode. You can also download registration forms there in English, Welsh and several other languages.
• The register is updated every year in September or October. A form is sent to every household, and someone fills it in with everyone living there who is eligible to vote, then sends it back.
• Northern Ireland does it differently, with individual registration: every eligible person fills in their own form. Once registered, you stay on the register as long as your details don't change.
• By law, the local council must let anyone look at the register, but only under supervision. It is kept at the local electoral registration office (in England and Wales, the council offices), and you can also see it in some libraries and other public buildings.

Chapter contents: Parliament and Elections