Why students should vote in the mayoral by-election
Posted on: Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026
‘My vote is my voice…and the voice of all who struggled, so that I may have my voice.’
- Lydia Obasi
There is a mayoral by-election happening in Greater Manchester on 30th July 2026 and it is so important that each and every student exercises their democratic right to vote. Even if you are not in Manchester for the summer you can still apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote, which we will explain in this blog.
The mayoral election is happening now, not in May 2028 as planned. This is because the previous Mayor, Andy Burnham, won the Makerfield by-election. He cannot be an MP and Mayor of Greater Manchester at the same time, so there needs to a by-election to elect a new Mayor this summer.
Why vote?
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has the power to set and delegate the budget for housing, transport, safety, and health in Manchester, all of which has the potential to drastically improve the quality of student life. Tired of dodgy landlords? Want an easier commute to university? Sick of waiting lists at the NHS? These are all aspects of your life that a new mayor has the power to improve.
The student vote is often taken for granted and not considered by potential political candidates. This is partially because 18–25-year-olds have the lowest voter turnout of any age group. However, there are up to 290,000 people aged 18 to 25 living in Greater Manchester, 100,000 of which are university students. So, the 20 to 24-year-old cohort are actually one of the largest single age groups in Greater Manchester. Young people have the chance to defy expectations and make the student vote matter by turning up to vote in this election. Here, each individual vote matters. By acting together, we can achieve real change for students in Greater Manchester.
So, register to vote. Call your friends and tell them to register to vote. Just make sure that the student voice is heard.
Key details and links
TLDR:
Register to vote and re-register if you have moved address.
If you are a student, you can vote at home AND at university.
If you are not in Greater Manchester over the summer, register to vote by post or by proxy.
If you are voting in person, do not forget a valid form of voter ID.
Check if you are eligible to vote as an international student.
Take note of the key dates so you do not miss out on the chance to vote.
Registering to vote for the first time or if you are moving term-time address over summer
Students can register to vote in two places: at home and at university.
You must be registered to vote at your current address before the [insert date here]. With the election being during the summer holidays, most students will have moved to their new term time address. So, make sure this updated in the electoral register.
It takes five minutes to register or register again if your address has changed:
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Different ways to vote
There are three different ways to vote in elections
In-person at the polling station
If you are in Manchester on polling day, the easiest way to vote would be to vote in person at the polling station.
If you are not in Manchester on polling day, you can sign up to vote by post instead.
If you know someone in Manchester on polling day, you could nominate them to be your proxy so they can vote on your behalf.
Voter ID
You now need to have valid form of voter ID if voting in a polling station (note, you do not need an ID to vote by post). This could be a passport or a driving licence. Expired ID is still valid as long as you still look like the photo.
If you do not have a valid ID then you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. These do not have an expiration date and might be helpful if the name on your photo ID is different from your name on the electoral register. You just need to be registered to vote before you can get the certificate.
Click on the link to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
Click on the link for the full list of valid forms of ID:
https://www.manchester.gov.uk/the-council-and-democracy/what-you-need-to-bring-with-you
International student voter registration
If you are an international student, you can also register if you have permission (or do not need permission) to enter or stay in the UK and you are
a Commonwealth citizen (including citizens of Cyprus and Malta)
a citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain
a citizen of another EU country, who on or before 31 December 2020 had permission to enter or stay (or did not need permission) and this has continued without a break
Or enter your details into this website to check if you can vote in UK elections:
https://www.nus.org.uk/can-i-vote
Key dates
Deadline to register to vote: Midnight 14th July 2026
Deadline to apply for a postal vote: 5pm 15th July 2026
Deadline to apply for a voter authority certificate: 5pm 22nd July
Deadline to apply for a proxy vote: 5pm 22nd July 2026
Polling day: 30th July 2026- Polls open 7am-10pm