Diversity Celebrations & Commemorations
Topic outline
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No Voice, No Say, make sure you register to vote.
NEVER TAKE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE FOR GRANTED
From the Chartists to the Suffragettes, the history of voting rights is littered with examples of people taking extremely brave actions to secure the vote.
we are working with the Greater London Authority and Shout Out UK who are running an impartial public awareness campaign in collaboration with the Electoral Commission. All London councils and a broad civil society coalition to address the equalities impact of the Elections Act, namely the introduction of photo Voter IDs and the removal of voting rights from some EU Londoners.
These are unprecedented changes to civic and democratic rights. So we need your support to continue to reach under-represented Londoners. We know that 61% of people are not aware of the forthcoming requirement in order to vote, photo ID will become a requirement. 11% do not hold a form of approved photo voter ID specified in the Elections Act (GLA/ YouGov poll, July - August 2022).
Hence, we are getting involved with the Voter ID Public Awareness Campaign, to ensure that as many people as possible can have a voice in the elections.
From a group of Barons tracking down a king in a muddy marshland and forcing him to sign a piece of paper in 1215, to the eventual universal suffrage of all adults in the United Kingdom 713 years later (in 1928), we must remember that the right to vote in this country wasn't always guaranteed, and gaining it never came easy.
A Brief History of Suffrage:
1867 - All male homeowners over the age of 21 are allowed to vote. That’s about 5.5million.
1918 - All men over the age of 21 and all women over 30 are allowed to vote. That’s about 21million.
1928 - All women over the age of 21 are allowed to vote for the first time. That’s about 28million.
1976 - The voting age is dropped to 18 for both genders. That’s about 40million.
2014 - 16 and 17 year olds vote in the Scottish Independence
2017 - On the 3rd of November an initial debate to lower the voting age was taken to Parliament. at the moment the age has stayed at 18.
You are not automatically registered to vote, you can register once you turn 16; make sure have your say; use this link below to get on the voters register: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote