REGISTER TO VOTE
Written by James Ward
Liz has made up her mind who she’s backing in the General Election.
So today, she’s off to cast her vote.
Unfortunately, Liz didn’t register.
Make sure nothing stops you voting in the General Election.
You see, because Liz didn’t register to vote, there’s a sort of invisible wall stopping her from entering the polling station. Although, her dog is able to pass through it without any problems.
According to the Electoral Commission, to vote in a UK Parliamentary general election a person must be registered to vote and also:
- be 18 years of age or over on polling day
- be resident in the UK
- be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
- not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote
- members of the House of Lords (although they can vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament)
- EU citizens resident in the UK (although they can vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament)
- anyone other than British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens
- convicted persons detained in pursuance of their sentences (though remand prisoners, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners can vote if they are on the electoral register)
- anyone found guilty within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election
Additionally, the following cannot vote:
Dogs can vote! Make sure your dog is registered to vote!
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Only dogs over the age of 18 can vote, though. = (
I assume that means in dog years though, no?
‘Dog years’ don’t map onto ‘human years’ in a straightforward manner; as this graph shows the ‘human equivalent’ age varies by size of dog. At the very least, it looks as though dogs over 90lb in weight should become enfranchised at a later stage than their smaller cousins.
If I was a dog I would vote for Gordon Bone.
I imagine on the forms dogs use when they register, they must have a section for size or breed, and they then use this to work out when the dog qualifies to vote.
Yes, I imagine this as well.
If I had a dog, I would give it a treat after it voted. ‘Who’s a good citizen?’ I would say. I would make sure it knew it would get a treat whoever it voted for, though. Voting is a matter between a dog and the ballot box.
Yes, it is important to encourage your dog to participate in the democratic process, but you have to allow the dog to make up its own mind who to vote for.