How do you plan to vote in the general election?

Voters can choose to vote at a polling station, by post or by proxy at the election - the first general election called since changes to the way we vote were introduced by the Elections Act 2022.

The council has launched an 'Are You General Election Ready?' campaign to raise awareness of the changes and make sure voters know the important election deadlines ahead of polling day:

•    register to vote - if you're not registered to vote, you must register by midnight on Tuesday 18 June. Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/registertovote

•    apply to vote by post - if you're planning to vote by post for the first time at the general election, you must apply for a postal vote by 5pm on Wednesday 19 June. Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/postalvote

•    apply to vote by proxy - if you're applying to vote by proxy for the first time at the general election, you must apply for a proxy vote by 5pm on 26 June. Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/proxyvote

•    apply for a Voter Authority Certificate - if you're planning to vote at a polling station on 4 July, you must take a valid form of photo ID in order to receive a ballot paper. No valid ID? You must apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) no later than 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/voterID to check whether you own a valid form of ID or to apply for a VAC.

Aftab Razzaq, Returning Officer for Rugby, urged voters to decide how to vote now so applications for postal votes, proxy votes and Voter Authority Certificates could be processed in plenty of time before polling day.

"Voters have the freedom to choose whether to vote at a polling station, by post or by proxy," Mr Razzaq said.

"For voters who have booked a summer holiday when the general election takes place, a postal vote should be a consideration, likewise for students who have returned to Rugby from university but remain registered to vote in the town or city where they study.

"If you intend to vote at a polling station, now's the time to check whether you own a valid form of photo ID and, if not, apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate to make sure you're ready to vote on polling day."

The need to produce photo ID in order to vote at a polling station was one of the changes to voting introduced by the Elections Act 2022.

Other changes include a requirement for postal voters to sign a return form when hand-delivering postal votes to the Town Hall or a polling station.

Failure to complete the form means the vote cannot be included in the election count.

A limit on the number of postal votes which can be hand-delivered by a single voter has also been introduced, with a voter now only allowed to hand-deliver up to six postal votes (including the voter's own).

Changes to proxy voting mean a registered voter can act as a proxy for a maximum of two people who live in the UK or, if acting as a proxy for overseas voters, up to four people (but only two of those four can live in the UK).

The Elections Act 2022 also introduced a number of changes to the rules on voting from overseas, including the removal of the 15-year limit on voting rights for British citizens living overseas, which means all British citizens living abroad can now vote in UK parliamentary elections.

"We want to make sure every eligible voter in Rugby can vote in the general election on Thursday 4 July, so now's the time to take five minutes to check whether you're ready to vote," Mr Razzaq said.

"From applying for a postal or proxy vote to making sure you have a valid form of photo ID to produce at a polling station, it's vital voters plan now to avoid falling foul of the changes introduced by the Elections 2022.

"Remember, your vote matters. Don't lose it."

You can check whether you're general election ready at www.rugby.gov.uk/electionready