Voting is the process by which people agree to a decision, either formally via ballot (as in societies, clubs and companies or political associations) or informally by a show of hands, voice voting or audience response systems. In larger organisations such as countries, it is usually confined to periodic elections.
Voting gives you a chance to have a say in how your country and local area are run. The MPs and councillors you vote for make decisions on things like social care, housing and education. You can choose to vote in person, by post or by proxy (if someone else can represent you at the polling station). There are different rules for different elections and referendums. You might need to show photo ID for some.
When voting a paper ballot is used, and voters can mark their preference for a candidate or party by crossing their chosen box or filling in the name of a party or candidate they prefer. They may also indicate a blank or null vote, often as a form of protest.
After verifying a voter and recording their elector number on a list of voters, the presiding officer or poll clerk issues them a ballot paper. All papers issued must have both an official mark (either a watermark or perforation) and a unique identifying number; at the end of the poll this list linking voters to their ballot paper numbers is sealed in a packet that can only be opened by order of court if there is a challenge to an election result.