Why vote?
Voting is the single most important thing you can do to make your voice heard in Scotland.
By voting you're helping to decide who will make decisions on the issues that affect you everyday, whether they're on a local or national level.
People all over the world have fought for the right to vote. In the UK women only won the right to vote on equal terms with men in 1928.
But having the right to vote is only the start.
A strong and stable democracy relies on people using their votes.
Recent elections in Scotland and the UK have shown a drop in the number of people turning out to vote. This trend is often put down to 'voter apathy' but the
Electoral Commission believes the reasons are more complicated.
Research shows that people don’t vote for reasons such as:
- Lack of information
- Distrust of politicians
- Inconvenience
The votescotland website aims to give you the information you need to feel confident to use your vote.
You can get more informed about politics by following the links around the site, and if you don't have time to go to the polling place you can now apply to vote by post.
Don't miss your chance to vote!
Key Points
- Voting is critical to the democratic process
- Having the right to vote is just the start – you need to use your vote too
- Anyone can apply to vote by post
Not sure what happens when you go to vote?
Take a look at our short animated movie so you know exactly what to expect when you go to vote on 3rd May.