Photo ID application and proxy vote deadline today

Today - Wednesday 26th June at 5pm - is the deadline for :

+ new applications to vote by proxy (not postal proxy or emergency proxies) - you can apply online at www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote

+ new applications for a Voter Authority Certificate - you can apply online at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/applying-a-voter-authority-certificate

There is a list of acceptable voter ID at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id - if you do not possess any of these to take to the polling station, you will need a Voter Authority Certificate which you must apply for by 5pm today.

The Campaign For Fairer Votes

Liberal Democrat MPs, led by Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg, have voted in Parliament to give people an opportunity to throw out the archaic First Past the Post system.

Up and down the country activists are coming together to campaign to replace that system with the Alternative Vote (AV).

AV is a fairer system which forces MPs to work harder to earn and keep your support.

Over the months until the referendum on May 5, 2011 the Fairer Votes Campaign from the Liberal Democrats will be fighting hard for a ‘yes’ vote.    It will not be easy to win, defeating the voices of conservatism who want to keep the status quo because it protects them from the will of the masses.

You can read more at http://www.libdems.org.uk/fairervotes.

Yes to Fairer Votes

I'm pleased to see the 'Yes to Fairer Votes' campaign is gathering momentum, with the announcement of the first appointments to the team that will lead the call for a ‘Yes’ vote on the Alternative Vote (AV) in next year’s referendum.

The campaign is currently building the grass roots organisation that will take the message to the country ahead of next May.

Campaign Chair Pam Giddy pointed out,

"You can be an MP today with less than one in three voters on your side.

"The system has produced safe seats where many MPs are set for life, and that’s bred complacency and allowed voters to be taken for granted.

By voting ‘Yes’ in the referendum we can take what works with the current system and improve on it, and give politics a long-overdue upgrade."

You can read more at www.yestofairervotes.org.

Democracy isn't Desk Bound

A month on from the publication of the Review of Electoral Systems, where’s the ongoing process that the Labour Westminster Government promised? Where are the opportunities for public involvement? Nothing has gone beyond the confines of Whitehall desks yet. No voter has yet been asked for their experience of elections.

From "Make Votes Count":

"The Government has tried to review how elections work from the comfort of their Whitehall desks, without ever actually going out and asking voters about their opinions or experiences. Democracy isn't deskbound. The public deserves a real say in the evaluation of different voting systems.

"Together we need to push Gordon Brown and the Ministry of Justice to take this debate beyond Westminster and the confines of parties and politicians who have a vested interest in the status quo."

* petition Gordon Brown
* pledge to take part in a consultation
* write to your MP
* enlist the support of your MEP/MSP/AM
* have your say on the governance of Britain

* donate to the campaign

If you only have 1 minute, that’s all you’ll need to sign the petition.

If you only have 3 minutes, that’s all you’ll need to sign the petition and do the pledge.
If you only have 5 minutes, please consider donating some money to the campaign too.
And if you can spare more than 5 minutes, pick one of the other actions and let politicians or the Ministry of Justice know how you feel on this issue.

Click on the headline above to read more.