On the 23 June 2016 there will be a referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union and the Electoral Commission is highlighting the vital role that care providers can play in supporting service users to realise their right to participate in political life.

Supporting service users to register and vote is central to providing a high quality of service which empowers individuals to participate in society and exercise choice. It is important that vulnerable people do not lose their right to vote and residential care providers should support all residents, to register to vote by the 7 June deadline. While everyone, regardless of their capacity, should be registered to vote, the decision as to whether and how to vote must always be made by the resident themselves, where they have capacity to do so, and not by any other person on their behalf.

To help care providers support their service users the Electoral Commission has produced a range of accessible resources including:

The aim of these resources is to ensure that everyone has the information they need to be able to have their say in the EU Referendum on the 23 June.