When you visit the polling station on Thursday 7 May why not let your friends and family know you’ve voted by taking a photo next to a ‘selfie vinyls’?

Selfie vinyls will be located outside each polling station in Preston, as photography inside is discouraged by the Electoral Commission and could breach election rules, threatening the secrecy of the ballot.

Engaging the 18-24 age group with the election and voting has been a priority for the council this year. The selfie vinyl is one of a series of ideas developed by the council, another being the emoji video.

Head of Communications, Stephen Parkinson, said: “Along with engaging young people as a priority for the council, I have a personal interest as my teenage daughter is voting for the first time.

“This is definitely the social media election, so we want people to take their selfies in front of our posters then share them with their family and friends.

“There’s a lot of interest in the election and that can only be a good thing for democracy. Selfies are just another way of expressing this, which is great, as long as they are only done outside the polling station.”