We’ve received reports of multiple students being prevented from voting their local polling station due to an administrative error, meaning they’re not on their polling station list despite being registered to vote.

This morning our VP Education and Democracy, Jo Lisney, experienced this first hand and was turned away from her polling station in Southampton Test. Jo says: “It was a shock this morning when I went to vote and was told I couldn’t. I had my polling card come through so I knew I could, but the people at the station showed me the list and it said ‘details … Read the rest

With the general election this week on Thursday (12 December), if you’re registered to vote, don’t miss out on your chance to do so!

As an incentive to practice your democratic right, we will be giving out doughnuts and hot chocolate to anyone who shows us a picture of them outside a polling station.

Show us a picture at any of these stalls on election day:

• Highfield (Hartley Library) 10:00-18:00

• Avenue 11:00-16:00

• UHS (Hospital) 11:00-16:00

Regardless of the way you choose to vote, make this election a sweet one! … Read the rest

Candidates for each of the three Southampton constituencies (Southampton Itchen; Southampton Test; Romsey and Southampton North) will address potential voters at our upcoming Hustings events. All events are open to everyone and are FREE, though you will need to register to attend.

Romsey and Southampton North – Monday 02 December, 18:30 – 20:30 (The Cube, Building 42) Register here

Confirmed Candidates:

• Caroline Nokes (Conservative)
• Claire Ransom (Labour)
• Craig Fletcher (Liberal Democrats)

Southampton Test – Tuesday 03 December, 18:30 – 20:30 (John Hansard Gallery) Register Here

Confirmed Candidates:

• Steven Galton (Conservative)
• Katherine Barbour (Green)
• Alan Whitehead (Labour)
• Joe Richards (Liberal Democrats

Looking at the current situation in UK Parliament, it’s becoming more and more likely a General Election will happen soon. Now is the time to make sure you’ve registered to vote.

It’s an easy process:

• You’ll need your national insurance number.
• Following this you’ll be prompted to answer a series of questions. This takes no longer than 5 minutes.
• Finally, upon completion, your local Council will process this information and let you know whether your registration has been successful. This should occur within 10 working days.

You can register to vote here: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote … Read the rest

If you’ve been keeping an eye on our Facebook and Twitter, you’ll know that we’re putting the upcoming General Election pretty high up on our agenda at the moment. Students get a bad rep for not engaging in national politics – it’s time we worked together to change things.

We’ve been running the #YourVoteYourVoice campaign on our dedicated site, and we’ve got a Thunderclap campaign too – it only takes a second to join, and automatically uses your social media profiles to spread awareness.

But if you’ve missed all this, then you might still not be registered to vote. … Read the rest

The General Election is swiftly approaching and in order to make it as much of a simple process as possible for you Southampton students, we wanted to let you know about the key milestones in the next few weeks which you need to know about to ensure your vote counts on May 7.

First of all, it’s vital you register to vote. Voter registration closes on April 20, so you need to make sure you have put your name down before then in order to have your say in both the General and Local Council Elections. To register, click … Read the rest

On Wednesday February 5^th, Solent Students Union and University of Southampton Students’ Union are teaming up with Bite the Ballot to hold a day of coordinated action, aimed at empowering students through registering to vote.

Bite the Ballot (bitetheballot.co.uk) is a party neutral organisation aimed at increasing voter engagement among young people. In the 2010 General Election, only 56% of 18-24 year olds were registered to vote, and just 44% voted. This is compared to 96% of people aged 65+ registered, with 76% of that age group voting.

Claire Gilbert, VP Engagement at University Students’ Union, … Read the rest