What are the voting rules for the next General Election in Aberdeenshire

With the date of the General Election now set for July 4, residents in Aberdeenshire need to be aware of the voting rules for the upcoming general election and the important dates that will now be in place.

The registration deadline to vote in the election is already less than four weeks away and national advice agency Advice Direct Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council have said people who are intending to cast a vote must register before midnight on Tuesday, June 18.

Whilst Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire are the only two areas of Scotland where schools will still be open during the election, anyone who will be abroad on holiday on the day of the election, students who have returned home or overseas supporting the national team at Euro 2024 in Germany can switch to a postal or proxy vote.
To be allowed to vote, people must be aged 18 or over on the day of the election and be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.
They must also have registered to vote ahead of time, which they can do online on the UK Government’s website using their national insurance number.
Once someone is registered to vote, they can either vote in person at a polling station, cast a postal vote or assign a proxy voter to fill out a ballot on their behalf.
Postal voting is usually suitable for those who know that they are going to be away from home on the day of election, either elsewhere in the UK or abroad.
People who want to vote by post can do so by applying online on the UK Government website, or by filling in a postal form. The deadline is 5pm on June 19.
Proxy voting is available to those who are away on polling day, are registered as overseas voters, have medical issues or disabilities, or are unavailable due to work or military service.
The person casting the vote in their name will have to be registered to vote in the election. They should also be known to and trusted by the person they are representing.
People who would like to vote by proxy can apply online on the UK Government website, or by post. The deadline to do so is 5pm on June 26.

For the first time at a UK general election, people voting at a polling station will also need to show photo identification.

Valid forms of ID include (but are not limited to) -

A UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)

A driving licence issued by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands

A UK passport

A passport issued by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country.

A full list of acceptable ID is available on the UK Government website.
People who do not have any form of photo ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for free, through the UK Government website. The deadline to do this is 5pm on June 26.

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