May 7th 2026: Your Turn to Decide

Think about your daily life for a second:

• Your mental health? Councils fund early intervention programs, youth services, and work with local NHS teams. They decide what gets cut and what gets protected.
• The places you hang out? Your councillors decide if youth clubs stay open or get shut down, if there are free activities, and whether community spaces get funded or sold off. That’s important.
• If you feel safe in your area? Councillors control community safety programs, youth outreach, street lighting, and so much more. Bus routes, cycle lanes, whether public transport runs past 11pm. Your councillors control your transport budget. No buses? That's on them.
• Jobs you have access to? Councils run apprenticeship schemes, and youth employment programs.

These elections determine who controls billions in local budgets. Money that could go to affordable housing, job programs, and community spaces—or get wasted while your rent goes up and bus routes get cut. Vote for the future you're already living in.

By 20 April: Register to vote (takes 5 minutes, you just need your NI number) → Register to vote - GOV.UK

Before 7 May: Look up candidates in your local area and see who you want to vote for → Who Can I Vote For?

On Thursday 7 May: Bring your photo ID to your polling station (you'll get a card in the mail telling you where to go) and vote. Polls are open 7am-10pm, so there's literally no excuse.

After you vote: Celebrate over ice cream with your people. You've earned it.

All you'll to bring with you is photo ID. Passport, driver's license, even a bus pass with your photo works. No need to bring your polling card.

Polling stations are open from 7AM-10PM. Don’t know where to go? Check out → WhereDoIVote.co.uk

No ID, no stress. You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate here → Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) - GOV.UK

Can't make it in person on the 7th? Apply for a free postal vote, which you will receive in the post and that you will have to send back in the post or just hand it in at your polling station on election day. → Apply for a postal vote - GOV.UK

And if this doesn’t work either, we have one more option! Get a proxy vote - so that someone you trust can vote for you. → Apply for a proxy vote - GOV.UK

No need for photo ID for this step but check local requirements! Deadline for postal votes is April 21 and for proxy votes it's April 18.

Who can actually vote in local elections? Let’s break it down.

If you're 18 or over, British, Irish, or a Commonwealth citizen (like Canada, Australia, India and South Africa), and you're registered at a UK address - you can vote.

EU citizens? Depends on where you are. In England, only if you're Irish, Cypriot, or Maltese. In Scotland and Wales? All EU citizens can vote in local elections. Check your local rules.

Turned 18 recently? You can vote – it’s your first time, congrats! If you’re in Ireland, Scotland and in Wales (for Senedd), you can even vote if you’re 16 or 17.

Living at uni? You can register at both your home address and your uni address. You just can't vote twice in the same election. Pick where your vote will count most.

No permanent address? That’s ok, you can still register - you’ll just have to submit some extra documentation. → Register to vote if you haven't got a fixed or permanent address - paper form - GOV.UK

My Life My Say is a youth-led, non-partisan movement on a mission to encourage young people to participate in democracy and get every single young person voting.

They’re recognised as one of the leading drivers of youth engagement in the UK, reaching over 6 million young people since 2013, increasing access to democracy, and affecting real change that benefits the greater good.

Learn more about My Life My Say → My Life My Say | Youth-led