The Student’s Guide To The General Election

With the General Election in less than a month and the deadline to register to vote coming up in just under a week, we can’t tell you who to vote for but we’ve done our best to get you all the other information you’ll need. Read on for your Go-To Guide, General Election edition!

1. Register to vote

Via Instagram: @ujs_uk

Everything else in this article is useless unless you’re actually able to vote on the day. Want to know why it matters? Our Campaigns Director Josh Nagli explains it all in this article. Visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote - you’ll need your National Insurance number handy (call 0300 200 3500 if you haven’t got a clue), and if you’re an international student who’s eligible to vote (find out if that's you here), you might need your passport too.

2. Where will you vote?

Via theguardian.com

As a student you can register to vote in two places, such as where you live in term time and where you live in the holidays. This is handy if you’re not sure where you’ll be on 8 June, but remember, it’s an offence to vote twice. (If you’re already registered to vote at one address but you aren’t sure where you’ll be on Polling Day, it’s worth adding your other option just in case!)

Now that you’re registered in both places, where will your vote make the most impact? It’s easy to find out using this handy tool.

3. How will you vote?

Via cdn.images.express.co.uk

There are 3 ways to vote in a General Election: in person, by proxy or by post. This is especially helpful if you’re studying abroad and won’t be back in time to vote, or if you’re going to be away – or even stuck in exams or the library all day. Voting in person means you’ll go to your nearest polling station, by proxy means you nominate a trusted family member or friend to vote on your behalf, and by post means you get your ballot paper in the post, you fill it out at home and you send it back ahead of time. Decide what’s best for you, and if you need to, apply for a proxy vote here or a postal vote here (you can only pick one of these.) The deadline to apply for both of these is May 22 so don’t delay!

4. Who will you vote for?

Via blog.kalaharimeetings.com

Obviously we can’t decide this for you, but we can definitely help you make up your mind…

* Manifestos:

Only the Labour Party have released their 2017 manifesto so far. The Liberal Democrats have set out their vision on their website, although it’s not an official manifesto, and the Conservative Party haven’t released theirs yet either – but they too have written about their vision here. We’ll update this when manifestos are released - in the meantime, the BBC are compiling points on key issues here.

* Hustings:

Hustings are meetings at which candidates in an election address potential voters and usually take the format of question and answer. Jewish communal organisations are hosting a variety, including these:

•London: Hustings specifically for young Jewish people on Monday 22 May; various others over the next two weeks – see the full list here.

•Manchester: 4 events on different nights across the city.

If you aren’t in or able to get to London or Manchester, see if your Students’ Union is hosting local candidates. If they haven’t got anything planned yet, why not get in touch and ask them if they can make it happen, or recommend alternative hustings in the area?

5. Vote on the day!

Via conwayfor.org

Now you're registered and you know who you want to vote for, don't forget to actually go along to your polling station on 8 June! Find yours here. They're open till 10 pm so you'll have plenty of time. (Afterwards, why not check out this exhibition of Jewish students' artwork?)

6. Want to know more?

Check out https://www.yourvotematters.co.uk/ for even more General Election information.