In her column this month, Rev Christine Murdoch writes about the General Election, and why it matters to vote ... and bring ID.

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At the time of writing, I am attending the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

We have also heard that we are facing a General Election on July 4. The theme for this year’s Assembly is Building Together. That is a theme that we could use in our communities and for our country.

While some women were granted the vote in 1918, it is less than 100 years since women received the vote on the same basis as men in 1928.

Then it was only those who were over 21 years of age who could vote. Eventually in 1969 the voting age was lowered to 18 years of age. Now, for UK elections, we need photographic ID to vote. Without that you risk being disenfranchised and you will be unable to vote.

With the General Election being held during the school holidays, those on holiday also risk being disenfranchised.

Therefore I would encourage anyone who will be away from home on July 4 to register for a postal vote. You can do so through this website: https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.

If you are not yet registered to vote, you can do that at this website: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

If you do not yet know how you will vote in the Election, I would urge you to ask: “Which politician is most likely to help us build a fairer community together?”

I also hope, subject to the agreement of the candidates, to host a hustings meeting in due course. That will give you the opportunity to question the candidates yourself. I am sure the Advertiser will publish the details in due course.

You may well wonder what difference one vote makes in a General Election, or indeed the difference one person makes in building a community.

I recently read an African proverb: “If you ever think you are too small to make a difference, spend a night with a mosquito.”

Your vote matters and your vote will count, but only if you actually vote.

If you decide that none of the candidates deserve your vote, then please do still attend your polling station and “spoil” your ballot paper. That way, your vote will still count and your protest will be noted.

However, please do remember that you do need your photographic ID or you won’t be able to vote at all.