Good morning. Happy election day! Polling stations are open and it’s finally time to have your say and vote – and it really does matter. This is your chance to make your voice heard and demand change this general election.

Politics has a huge impact on your everyday life. It may feel like a distant world when we watch politicians squabble on our TV screens, but the decisions made by the government make a real difference to how we live in the UK.

It is now time for us to decide which MPs are in parliament influencing decisions and hopefully changing our lives and our local areas for the better.

Take public services. If you or a loved one needs the NHS, you want a government which brings down waiting lists and offers proper funding for services and pay for staff. Maybe you are frustrated with the state of public transport, or education or social care.

Housing might be the big issue that matters to you, and politicians can deliver things like annual house building targets, more social housing, stronger rights for renters and help to buy.

Their policies can also help alleviate the cost of living for families and lift people out of poverty. That might be through ensuring the social security system supports the vulnerable, pensioners and people who are too ill to work.

They can also help ensure employers pay their staff enough and improve workers’ rights and flexibility in the workplace. They influence how much tax we pay, which helps raise funds for public services and directly impacts the money you take home. 

If there isn’t a party which resonates with you, and there might not be, think local. Vote for the MP in your local area you would most like to stand up for you and your community.

The Big Issue has spoken to politicians, experts, charities and voters ahead of the general election, and we round up the must-reads below. If you haven’t decided who you are going to vote for, it could help you make up your mind. 

It’s so important to get out and vote. Your voice matters. And maybe after the general election, we might see change. 

If you have a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

Essential reading before voting

Keir Starmer on being as 'bold as Attlee' and why there'll be no return to austerity under his watch. We asked Labour leader Keir Starmer some key questions about what he will do if he is the next UK prime minister. Here’s the interview.

Rishi Sunak on shoplifting, coffee with Keir Starmer and his biggest regret as prime minister. Tory leader Rishi Sunak is quizzed on his record, while our vendors want to know why he hasn't built more affordable homes. Read it.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey on fighting Tories and stress of benefits system for his disabled son. We put some questions to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey ahead of going to the polls this week. Here's what he said.

John Swinney on poverty, independence and wanting Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up. We asked Scotland's first minister some key questions about what he will do if he wins the next election. Find out more.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'We should all be worried about the demonising of migrants'. The Plaid Cymru leader answers our questions on the green transition, Housing First and poverty ahead of polling day. Read his thoughts.

Jess Phillips on why Labour is the party for women and terminally ill sister-in-law's fight for benefits. Phillips says she would rather 'die in a ditch' than see her sister-in-law penalised by 'cruel' disability benefits reforms. Read the interview.

There are more food banks in the UK than McDonald's. It's why the work doesn't stop after polling day. In 2010, there were 35 food banks in the UK. Today, there are 1,439 McDonald’s in the UK and just shy of 2,900 food banks. Find out more.

'I haven't voted since Blair': How politics failed one of the most Tory places in Britain. Castle Point is the Tories' third safest seat. It has the sixth highest rate of home ownership in the country. Can the election bring solutions to a weird housing crisis? Get the story.

Politics needs saving. And it's going to have to be us who do it. We have to clean politics up and dust it down because it is being made ignoble by media cretins, writes Big Issue founder Lord John Bird. Read more.

Shocking political ad shows a child as if at gunpoint. This is what it tells us about the Tory campaign. Dr Nick Anstead, who specialises in political communication, writes about whether the Conservatives' campaign imagery will sway voters. Learn more.

Opinion polls are an important cog in our democracy – but the only poll that counts is election day. While opinion polls have their uses, we’ll only truly know the outcome after election day is over. Jane Frost shares her thoughts. Read it here.

Workers should have the right to family time – including Keir Starmer, campaigners say. Keir Starmer and the Conservatives are currently embroiled in a spat over the Labour leader’s working hours. Find out more.

Young people to the next government: Make homes truly affordable. Around 86% of 16 to 25-year-olds said it was important for the next government to make private renting more affordable. Read about it.

The inside story of how Tony Blair's New Labour all-but ended rough sleeping. The last Labour government almost got rid of rough sleeping. We speak to the key players to find out how it was done – and what the next government needs to do. Get the story.

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Count Binface: 'The sky's the limit!'

Intergalactic space warrior Count Binface is putting his hat in the ring again this general election and standing against the current prime minister Rishi Sunak to be MP for Richmond and Northallerton in North Yorkshire. 

His policies? National service for all former prime ministers. Trains that work. Croissants price capped at £1.10. Loud snacks banned at cinemas. National Yorkshire Pudding Day to be a bank holiday. Count Binface to represent the UK at Eurovision.

It could all be seen as a bit of fun, but Binface is also making a pretty powerful point about democracy. He wants everyone to vote, and he is providing an opportunity to vote in protest. If people don’t want to waste their ballot, they can vote for Binface. And if people do vote for Binface, it’s a reminder to parties that they need to step up. 

“I hope that my presence in the general election helps at least a bit to draw attention to British democracy itself,” he says. “There is something miraculous about its unique openness to allow literally any citizen to stand for election, no matter how ridiculous their get-up or crazy their platform.”

Read what Count Binface has to say here.