TODAY is the day to make your vote count.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Hampshire will head to the polls today to elect the next Government and members of five councils.

The polls will open at 7am and voters in the county have until 10pm to make their voice heard and cast their ballot.

As well as voting in the General Election, some people in Hampshire will also have the chance to elect members of Southampton and Winchester city councils, New Forest District Council and Test Valley and Eastleigh borough councils.

And, after a late push to get |unregistered voters signed up, 10,000 more people are now registered to vote in Southampton than before December 1.

Southampton City Council has revealed that following that late surge in registration the number of registered voters in the city now stands at 173,746, with 72,276 of those eligible to vote in Southampton Itchen and 70,269 in Test.

Mark Heath, the council’s electoral registration officer and returning officer, said: “When the current electoral register was published on December 1 – the first following the introduction of individual electoral registration (IER) – the number of registered electors was 163,380.

“Over the last five months we have managed to increase this by over 10,000. This means that the number of registered electors now exceeds the number registered before IER.

“To supplement the national initiatives, the following local voter engagement activities have been undertaken in Southampton to encourage registration amongst the student population, where numbers had dropped considerably following the introduction of IER: conducting student awareness events; advertising on student bus routes; and training student canvassers for the halls of residence.

“The increase in the number of registered electors reflects both the effort we have put in and a great response from the public.

“Registration is the gateway to democracy, and I am delighted that so many people have gone online and registered in time to vote today.”

The city council has published a list of key information for voters heading to the polls today.

Kay Jenkins, the Electoral Commission’s head of English regions, said: “This year’s elections will be a chance for voters to have their say on the issues that affect them.

“It’s an exciting time, but we wouldn’t want anyone to miss out because they didn’t know what to expect on polling day.

“Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm, so plan now when you’re going to cast your vote. Information on how to mark your ballot paper will be available inside the polling station.”