The Electoral Commission is reminding voters to make sure they are ready to take part in the EU Referendum on Thursday 23 June 2016.

Recent research conducted by the Commission found that around a quarter (27%) of voters across the UK were unable to name the exact date of the referendum when asked. 4 in 5 voters (80%) said they knew the wording of the question on the ballot paper.

Traffic to the Electoral Commission’s voter information website is up 160% compared to during the run-up to last year’s General Election, with nearly 3,000,000 visits since the launch of the Commission’s public awareness campaign on 15 May.

Alex Robertson, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission said:

“We don’t want anyone to miss out because they didn’t have the information they need to take part in this historic poll.”

“With just a week to go, it’s really important to make sure you’re ready for next Thursday’s vote. Our aboutmyvote.co.uk website has lots of useful information and you can also call our 0800 3 280 280 helpline.”

It is important that anyone who is unsure about how to cast their vote goes to the website to find out. The website, www.aboutmyvote.co.uk, contains information on-

The wording of the question on the ballot paper
The contact details for your local authority, who will be able to advise on the location of your polling station if you’ve misplaced your poll card
Who is eligible to take part in the referendum
Links to information from the two lead campaign organisations
The answers to frequently asked questions
It is also possible to download additional copies of the information booklet that the Commission sent to all households in May from the website. There is also a helpline (0800 3 280 280) for those not able to access the internet or who want to speak to an advisor.

Facts and figures

There will be over 41,000 polling stations open across the UK and Gibraltar between 7am and 10pm (BST) on polling day.
There will be over 100,000 members of staff working in polling stations.
2,614,711applications to register to vote were made between the launch of the Electoral Commission’s public awareness campaign on 15 May and the registration deadline at midnight on Thursday 9 June.
The question on the ballot paper will be ‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?’. Voters will be instructed to put a cross in the box for their preferred outcome- ‘Remain a member of the European Union’ or ‘Leave the European Union’.

The Electoral Commission advises voters not to take photos inside the polling station as they could potentially breach the secrecy of the ballot requirements. Anyone who wants to take a selfie can do this outside the polling station.

To take part in the referendum, voters must have been registered to vote by midnight on Thursday 9 June.

The Count Process

Counting across the UK and Gibraltar will begin at 10pm (BST) on Thursday 23 June. Totals from the 382 local counting areas will be announced in count venues across the country, and all the results will be available on the Commission’s website once the final, overall result is declared by the Chief Counting Officer. There is more information on the count process andestimated declaration times for each local count area on the Commission’s website.

To be eligible to vote in the EU Referendum, you must be:

A British or Irish citizen or a citizen of Malta or Cyprus living in the UK, or
A Commonwealth citizen living in the UK who has leave to remain in the UK or who does not require leave to remain in the UK, or
A British citizen living overseas who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years, or
An Irish citizen living overseas who was born in Northern Ireland and who has been registered to vote in Northern Ireland in the last 15 years.
If you are an EU citizen, you are not eligible to vote in the EU Referendum unless you meet the criteria above.

For further information, contact:
Lisa Camps in the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704 orlcamps@electoralcommission.org.uk
Out of office hours 07789 920 414

Notes to editors

The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendum held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).

The final electorate figure will be known shortly before polling day and will be published on the Commission’s website.

More information on the count process and the estimated declaration timings for the 382 local count areas can be found on the Commission’s website.

The research conducted by the Electoral Commission was undertaken with YouGov using a sample of 2146 eligible voters across the UK.

There were 2,987,579 visits to aboutmyvote.co.uk between the launch of the Commission’s campaign on 15 May up until 15 June (8 days before polling day), compared to 1,141,928 between the launch of the Commission’s General Election public awareness campaign on 16 March, and 29 April 2015 (8 days before the poll).

I am English and British - by virtue of my birth - I am proud of that fact and will remain such until my dying breath despite what our politicians may want. I am not a European citizen - I am a British citizen and my dad and granddad fought alongside many who never returned home for me to maintain that right. Sovereignty to me means everything it has NOTHING to do with economics.

Britain get off your knees be PROUD of your country that your ancestors built and defended through blood, sweat and tears. I will not ever surrender to the likes of Junker or Merkel - to do that I would be spitting on the graves of millions (from many countries) who lie in graves across the length and breadth of Europe. Mr.Cameron you do not deserve to walk the corridors of power the way you shame our ancestors and continue to treat the electorate with utter disdain and contempt.


Vote OUT