No one else can tell you how to vote. However, there are lots of ways to find out what the parties and candidates up for election stand for. You are unlikely to totally agree with any one candidate or party, but do you feel they are going in the right direction?
You can follow parties and candidates on social media to see what they are saying and to contact them with questions.
You can read party manifestos (via their websites) to see their plans for government and what’s important to them.
Charities and campaigns about issues you care about may post information or suggested questions for candidates. You can find their election resources here.
Go to a hustings. This is an event where all the candidates answer questions from the public. Your school, parish or university may have details of when and where these are, or you can search online. They are open to everyone. If no one asks about the issues you are interested in, you can! CAFOD and SVP have more information about hustings and other ways to contact candidates.
Talk to people you trust about their views, even those you may disagree with.
To think about
When you reading, watching or listening to content about election issues, or sharing these with others, think about:
Who is telling me this and what are their motives? Are they impartial or not?
Is this content trying to make me feel a particular way? Why?
Is this content trying to divide groups or communities, stir up prejudice or make a complex issue seem very simple?
Is the person or organisation sharing this content trustworthy? Do they have lived experience or research to back up what they are saying?
A single issue might be very important to you, but how does what a party or candidate says about one issue fit with their broader policies?
Is it true? You can use a fact-checking website to test claims you’re not sure about.