Welcome to your vote week 2026 – Monday 9 March to Sunday 15 March

About Welcome to Your Vote Week 2026

Welcome to Your Vote Week continues to build on previous years’ success. In 2025, more than half a million young people took part in activities across the UK, and schools, youth groups and councils delivered mock votes, manifestos, debates, and registration drives. Engagement data from the Electoral Commission shows:

• 85% of participants said the week increased young people’s knowledge of democracy
• 76% said young people were more confident to engage in democracy
• 70% said the likelihood of young people registering to vote had increased
           

The 2026 week encourages young people to access trustworthy information, understand who represents them locally, explore issues that matter to them, and discover the various ways they can influence their communities.

Who can register to vote?

To register to vote in England, you must be:

• Aged 16 or over (though you can only vote from age 18)
• A UK or Irish citizen, or
• A qualifying Commonwealth or EU citizen living in the UK
     
     

More information on eligibility is available from the Electoral Commission on their website.

You can click here to register to vote online or contact the elections office via one of the methods in the contact us section below.

Ways to vote

At your polling station

You will receive a poll card with the details of where and how to vote. Voters must bring an accepted form of photo ID to take part in person.

Postal voting

You can choose to vote by post. Your ballot paper will be posted to you before polling day, and you will return it in a sealed envelope. A signature and date of birth are required for verification.

Resources for schools, youth groups and educators

The Electoral Commission has produced a wide selection of free resources to support Welcome to Your Vote Week activities and year‑round democratic education, which can be found by clicking here. Some of these resources include:

Educational resources

• Mis‑ and disinformation resource packs for ages 7–16, developed with Shout Out UK
• Local democracy activity packs for ages 16–18 (England‑only), created with Simple Politics
• Short democratic activities, videos and quizzes suitable for tutor time or youth groups

Engagement activities from across the UK

Young people across the UK have taken part in Q&A sessions, debates, mock votes, and creative democratic projects such as podcasts, murals, and discussion forums developed with Youth Voice Champions.

National programme information

Welcome to Your Vote Week is supported annually by the Electoral Commission, which asks educators to deliver democratic education with their young people and provides promotional materials, lesson plans, and engagement toolkits.

How schools and youth groups in Tendring can take part

We encourage local organisations to run activities such as:

• Mock elections and ballot design workshops
• Sessions on identifying trustworthy information and avoiding misinformation
• Discussions about local issues and local representation
• Student‑led manifestos, debates, creative projects or assemblies
• Registration awareness sessions for students who are approaching 16

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These activities help young people build confidence, expand civic knowledge, and take their first steps into local democratic participation.

Sign up and access resources

Schools and youth organisations can sign up to take part and download free resources directly from the Electoral Commission’s Welcome to Your Vote Week pages.

Resources are updated annually and include posters, classroom materials, guides and multimedia content.

Contact us

Tendring District Council – Elections Team
elections@tendringdc.gov.uk / 01255 686575
Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1SE

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