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Voting

Who is eligible to vote?

  • You have to be eighteen years or over
  • All British, Commonwealth, Irish and other European Union citizens
  • Overseas electors (British citizen living outside the UK register online)
  • Members of HM Forces and their spouses (register online)
  • Crown servants employed outside the United Kingdom
  • European citizens are allowed to vote in European and Local Elections only
  • Overseas electors are allowed to vote in Parliamentary and European Elections only.

Registering to vote and the Electoral Register

Where do I vote?

Your polling card will tell you which polling station you can vote at. A full list of polling station stations can be viewed on our where to vote information page. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on the day of an election (‘polling day’). As long as you’re in the queue to vote by 10pm, you’ll be allowed to vote. 

How do I vote?

Poll cards are delivered shortly before an election. Each member of the household who is eligible to vote should receive a poll card which informs them of the date of the election, where their polling station is and the hours of poll. You do not need to take the poll card with you to be able to vote.

View upcoming elections and vacancies

Voting in a polling station

The UK Government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at some elections. This new requirement will apply for the first time in England at the local elections on Thursday 4 May 2023. You can find out which forms of photo ID can be accepted and what to do if you don't have any photo ID on our Voter ID information page.

Get your ballot paper

  1. When you arrive at the polling station, you will need to give your name to the poll clerk behind the desk. If you have your poll card with you, show them this and it will help speed up the process.
  2. The staff will then give you a ballot paper listing the candidates you can vote for. You might be given more than one ballot paper if there is more than one election taking place in your local area on the same day.
  3. Take your ballot paper (or papers) into a polling booth so that no one can see how you vote.
  4. Read the instructions carefully

Complete your ballot paper

  1. Complete the ballot paper in line with the instructions. There will be a pencil in the polling booth, but you can use your own pen if you prefer.
  2. Don't write anything else on the paper, or your vote may not be counted.
  3. If you make a mistake, don't worry, as long as you haven't already put it in the ballot box, just let the polling station staff know and they can give you further instructions or a replacement ballot paper.
  4. Once you're done, put your completed ballot paper in the ballot box.

Unable to get to the polling station on election day?

If you can't get to your polling station on election day, you can apply to vote by post or vote by proxy.

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