The Citizens Declaration
Do you want the best for our country?
A better future, a responsible government,
real democracy, justice for all,
and fair chances?
It’s your future, make it your best life.
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?
To be able to vote in United Kingdom elections you need two things:
1. To be registered to vote in your constituency, based on your official home
2. To have photo identification in a form acceptable to the government.
Register to Vote
To register to vote you will need to join the electoral register you can do this at
You will only need your National Insurance Number and your official address.
It takes five minutes to ensure you can be part of British democracy.
Photo ID to Vote
To be able to vote you need an Accepted form of photo ID. The list can be found here at:
If you do not have any photo ID then you need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.
Click here for Electoral Commission Voter Authority Certificate Apply
Then What Can I Do?
Learn about your Constituency!
Every constituency is different. It would help if you found out who your local MP is and the party manifesto they are standing upon. Don’t be taken in by the leaflets handed out. It is hard to say anything meaningful on a single piece of paper, so you need to do a bit of digging. There are lots of resources here on this site to help.
Read the Party Manifestos
Before any general election, each political party issues its manifesto. This is supposed to be the platform on which the party will govern if it forms a majority in the House of Commons.
As we have seen over the last decade, manifestos can be ignored, ripped up, and new policies introduced. However, it is essential to understand the platform on which your local candidates stand so you can ask them questions. Manifestos will be found on the party websites once the election has been called.
The Conservative Party .conservatives.com/
The Labour Party labour.org.uk/
The Liberal Democrats libdems.org.uk/
The Green Party vote.greenparty.org.uk/
The SNP .snp.org/
Plaid Cymru partyof.wales/
Use 'TheyWorkForYou' Website
The TheyWorkForYou site allows you to search by postcode, and it will tell you about your MP. It also shows you how they voted on key issues. Do they reflect your views? Do they only follow their party line and ignore constituents’ views? What are your red lines?
It also shows you what any MP lists in the Register of Members’ Interests. This is useful for you to see if they are working full-time for you as a constituent or whether they have another job.
Use the 'Westminster Accounts' Website
Every year, millions of pounds pour into Westminster – into the accounts of the people, groups, organisations and parties that work and operate at the centre of government. Although most of this money must technically be disclosed to the public, the way that information is reported, stored and displayed almost guarantees the records will not be widely scrutinised.
Sky News and Tortoise Media have put together a great resource which tells you who paid MPs to perform services or to lobby. You can use it by clicking on the link and search for your MP. It also shows how much money has flowed into the MPs’ political party.
Learn about 'Win as One'
Win As One is a movement initiated by Compass, open to everyone that wants to work together to secure a progressive majority for change at the next election. They have identified 61 constituencies where having a single progressive candidate and tactical voting will unseat a Tory. This will help secure a progressive majority at the next General Election. Is your MP a target?
Vote Tactically
Tactical voting lets you strategically use your vote to get the overall election result you want.
In the UK we have too many parties, some of which have little chance of being elected. The UK uses an election system called first-past-the-post, where a candidate who most voters do not want can win by getting more votes than a divided opposition.
By voting tactically, you can overcome this problem, by backing the party that has the best chance of defeating this Government where you live.
Find out more at:
Join a local group?
In many constituencies with Tory MPs, campaigns are being formed to help Progressives work together. Check out Facebook for any local newsgroups. That is an excellent place to start reaching out to other people who feel like you do. Compass also has local groups so check them out too. The Progressive Alliance Facebook group is a good place to look for allies: https://www.facebook.com/theprogressivealliance