Register to Vote

A grey ballot box with a hand posting a ballot through.

Voting in local and national elections is very important, often the votes will be to decide on major changes to leadership of the local and central authorities.

If you want to vote in any UK election or referendum, you must be registered to vote.

Online Enrolment

Following your online enrolment, you will be able to access e:Vision. Within e:Vision is a dedicated area for you to navigate to the GOV.UK registration pages.

Types of Elections

There's a variety of different types of elections in the UK that you can be part of

Election Type	Description
Local Election	Local councils provide services and facilities in your area. The type of council you have and their responsibilities depend on where you live. Local councillors oversee the work of the council and set the strategies and priorities. When you vote in local elections, you vote for councillors to represent your ward. If your home and university addresses are in two different local authority areas, you can vote in local elections in both areas. This is because they are separate elections.
National Election	National polls are considered to be one election, therefore you can only vote once in a national poll, such as a general election. This means you must choose if you want to vote at your home address or at your term-time address. It is a criminal offence to vote twice in one election.

Election Type

Description

Local Election

Local councils provide services and facilities in your area. The type of council you have and their responsibilities depend on where you live. Local councillors oversee the work of the council and set the strategies and priorities. When you vote in local elections, you vote for councillors to represent your ward.

If your home and university addresses are in two different local authority areas, you can vote in local elections in both areas. This is because they are separate elections.

National Election

National polls are considered to be one election, therefore you can only vote once in a national poll, such as a general election.

This means you must choose if you want to vote at your home address or at your term-time address. It is a criminal offence to vote twice in one election.

How to Vote

Within the U.K. you can access your vote in many different ways.

Vote Type	Description
In Person	You’ll be sent a poll card just before an election or referendum telling you when to vote and at which polling station. You can only vote at the polling station location on your card. You do not have to take your poll card with you. If you have not received a poll card but think you should contact your local Electoral Registration Office. You can still vote if you’ve lost your card.
Postal Vote	To apply to vote by post in England, Scotland or Wales, you need to download, print and fill in the postal vote application form available on the Electoral Commission website. You can apply for a particular election or referendum, for a specific time period, or for a permanent postal vote. Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed it, you need to send it to the electoral services team at your local council. You can send your form by post. The electoral services team at your local council may also accept a scanned copy of your form by email, but you should check with them first. You will need to complete a new postal vote application if you have moved house.
Proxy Vote	If you aren't able to cast your vote in person, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. This is called a proxy vote and the person casting your vote is often referred to as your proxy. The person voting on your behalf can either go to your polling station to cast your vote or can apply to vote for you by post. To apply for a proxy vote, you have to complete a form and give a reason why you can't get to your polling station in person. This may be because you're going to be on holiday or have a physical condition which means you can't get to your polling station on polling day. You will be able to apply for a proxy vote via the forms on the Electoral Commission website

Vote Type

Description

In Person

You’ll be sent a poll card just before an election or referendum telling you when to vote and at which polling station. You can only vote at the polling station location on your card. You do not have to take your poll card with you.

If you have not received a poll card but think you should contact your local Electoral Registration Office. You can still vote if you’ve lost your card.

Postal Vote

To apply to vote by post in England, Scotland or Wales, you need to download, print and fill in the postal vote application form available on the Electoral Commission website. You can apply for a particular election or referendum, for a specific time period, or for a permanent postal vote.

Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed it, you need to send it to the electoral services team at your local council. You can send your form by post. The electoral services team at your local council may also accept a scanned copy of your form by email, but you should check with them first.

You will need to complete a new postal vote application if you have moved house.

Proxy Vote

If you aren't able to cast your vote in person, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. This is called a proxy vote and the person casting your vote is often referred to as your proxy. The person voting on your behalf can either go to your polling station to cast your vote or can apply to vote for you by post.

To apply for a proxy vote, you have to complete a form and give a reason why you can't get to your polling station in person. This may be because you're going to be on holiday or have a physical condition which means you can't get to your polling station on polling day.

You will be able to apply for a proxy vote via the forms on the Electoral Commission website