Should certain dates be unacceptable for a General Election?

If these students want to vote they can apply for a postal vote. We had to apply for a postal vote in the European Parliament Elections, took 5 working days from application to receiving ballot paper.

Students are not being denied a vote.

Yet another stand off. This time it’s LD’s/SNP and Boris. It demonstrates yet again how much Parliament is stymied.

Whatever the date, a few thousand votes here and there, is fairly immaterial in the big sea (although La Swinson would disagree).

Wouldn’t that be like saying more older people can afford holidays and are more likely to be right wing so we should have elections in May, June and September when they’re not around?

I’m sure all parties in power choose dates to suit themselves not t’other sides!

As others have said, no one is being denied a vote. Students or whoever need to sort out a postal vote if necessary.

Parliament need to agree on a date first, but of course that would be too easy.....

Well Momentum/Corbyn presumably have some date in mind? This year, next year, sometime, never!

Re SNP I expect they'd like it before the Salmond trial? Whatever the outcome dirty linen will be washed in public. Its a difficult situation.

Good point Jane10!

I suspect if every student applied for a postal vote (and aren't these supposed to be the exception) there would be a longer wait than 5 days GG13. We are talking about thousands of young people.
If you can show that all older people go on holiday on the same date Pantglas2 that might be a valid argument, but they don't.

So we're going to have our 3rd GE in 4 years because we may have changed our minds about who we want to govern, but a 2nd referendum would be so wrong as nobody has changed their mind? Such sound logic!

And to answer the question, yes certain dates should be off limits.

You can apply to have postal votes at any time - don't leave it to just before an election.
Once you have elected to have a postal vote that is what you will receive for every future election, local, national or otherwise.

I applied for a postal vote for the 2016 GE - it arrived here in France too late to be returned to the UK

Maybe the people involved with the 'we're leaving on the 31st' campaign could be moved to the department that issues postal votes to save any backlog. And hey, how about full page adverts in all the papers [oh, and over motorways] informing people about how to obtain a postal vote or give students information about how to obtain a vote. And before everyone says they should know that sort of stuff, did we all know things like that when we were their age? I certainly didn't...

Yes one of them is definitely unacceptable, to me at any rate, it's my birthday I'll be out of the country anyway, I hope!

I don't blame you TerriBull. Wish I could be too. ?

The only people denying youngsters a vote is themselves. It's easier than it's ever been to register and all of my student children have managed to vote in elections despite leading peripatetic lives. It's hardly rocket science.

I've just applied for a postal vote as my son will be away and I have no other way of getting out to vote. It's a simple form and open to all, so I've asked to do it until further notice but you can ask for between specific dates and no reason is needed. So anyone can do it.

SueDonimperhaps you could look at the dates and you might find that most GE were in term times. I don't know how old your student children are but it wasn't until the change in 2015 that students had to register themselves.

My student children have always registered themselves, starting back in 1993. They were registered both at home and at uni, as you are legally allowed to do. (Obvs you must only vote at one of them.) Surely if you're clever enough to be at uni you can manage a small thing such as that, or to arrange a postal vote?

I don’t understand why some people, I presume the OP means students, I don’t understand why they are being denied a vote. Students are allowed to register to vote in their home town and their university town. They can choose to vote in either, but not both (except in local elections where they can vote in both) and it seems far more likely, given what was said to have happened in the referendum, that by using a postal vote, students may very well vote twice. It’s illegal, but as no one checks, and voter identification is extremely lax, it’s highly likely that some will choose to do just that.

maddyone it's quite simple most students choose to register in the place thay are studying because that's where they are most of the year. The two dates proposed by Boris- October first and now Dec 12th coincide with the beginning and end of termswhen students are on the move. Now one date might be accidental but both looks like a plan!

No one should vote. They should all be shown complete disdain.

No dates should be off limit.....and students are not being denied a vote ( though how many be will arsed to go and actually vote is another matter.) Yes, they could arrange a postal vote if they want to, anyway.