Tell us about any barriers you face in voting 

If you have experience of a mental health problem, we want to hear from you about voting. Have you registered to vote? Or is it too difficult to? We would like to hear about your experiences. 

We at Centre for Mental health are undertaking research into the barriers that people with mental health problems face in registering to vote. There will be local elections in May and a general election in the near future, so it is a good time to deepen our understanding of how we can support people to take part. 

We are conducting this research on behalf of the Electoral Commission, the independent body which oversees elections in the UK. As part of its role, the Commission works to promote public confidence in the democratic process. This work is informed by research into public attitudes towards registering to vote and voting, particularly among groups who may face additional barriers that prevent them from taking part in our democracy.  

Similar research projects are ongoing to understand the barriers faced by Deaf people (working with the RNID), people with a learning disability (working with Mencap) and people who are eligible to vote anonymously, particularly domestic violence survivors (working with Women’s Aid). 

Your responses will help the Electoral Commission, Centre for Mental Health and other organisations to support people with mental health problems to exercise their democratic rights. 

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

There are two ways to get involved in our research.  

• Complete a questionnaire: This should take you only three minutes to fill out. It will help us better understand the barriers to voter registration for people with mental health problems. There will be a prize draw for a high street voucher for £100.  

• Sign up to one of our online focus groups: There will be about eight people in each discussion – which will last about 45 minutes – and you, and other people with mental health problems, will be asked to share your experiences about the process of registering to vote. Each participant will receive a £20 high street voucher for their time.