A WORKSHOP to help people with learning disabilities engage with politics and learn more about their right to vote has been held in Darlington.

The Love Your Vote campaign is run by Dimensions, which supports people with learning disabilities and autism, and the Houses of Parliament Outreach Service.

Covering all aspects of Parliament and the electoral system, using easy-read materials and presentations, the workshop aimed to help people take part in the political process.

Only ten per cent of the people supported by Dimensions voted at the last general election, which led to the campaign.

Steve Scown, chief executive for Dimensions, said: “It is essential for people to be engaged more with the electoral system – low turnouts among people we support are likely due to a lack of education on the subject rather than a lack of interest.

“Through this campaign, we want to ensure that people with learning disabilities and autism are provided with accessible information about their rights to make an informed choice about voting.”

The campaign also aims to inform people how to lobby their local MP about issues that affect their lives and demonstrate what impact lobbying has.