Voting
Page updated on: 22/01/2024
Use our flowchart to find everything you need to know about voting and elections, voter ID and any changes to postal and proxy voting.
There are 3 ways you can vote:
Visit your nearest polling station in person, on Poll Day
Send your ballot paper back to us in the post
Appoint a proxy (another person) to vote on your behalf either in person or by post
Visit your nearest Polling station
When you vote in person, you will visit the polling station allocated to you based on your address on your electoral address.
Near the election date you will be sent an official poll card telling you when Election Day is and where your local polling station is. You can vote there between 7am and 10pm on Election Day.
You can only vote in person at your allocated polling station.
Which election are you voting in?
Parliamentary elections
Voter Identification (ID)
From May 2023 onwards you will need to show your approved photo ID or Voter Authority Certificate at polling stations at Parliamentary elections.
The law will require you to show photo ID when you want to vote at a polling station when there is a Parliamentary election. This could be an approved form of photo ID, such as a passport. Expired ID documents will be accepted if the photo is still a good likeness of you.
Only original documents are accepted, scanned images or copies will not be accepted. However, if your photo ID has expired it will be accepted as long as the photograph is still a good likeness to you.
If you do not have an approved ID, you will need to apply for a free 'Voter Authority Certificate' (VAC) – sometimes called a 'Voter Card' or 'Electoral Identification Document'. Voters will be able to apply online for a VAC through a new GOV.UK Voter Authority Certificate website.
Police and Crime Commissioner elections
Voter Identification (ID)
From May 2023 onwards you will need to show your approved photo ID or Voter Authority Certificate at polling stations at Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
The law will require you to show photo ID when you want to vote at a polling station when there is a Police and Crime Commissioner elections. This could be an approved form of photo ID, such as a passport. Expired ID documents will be accepted if the photo is still a good likeness of you.
Only original documents are accepted, scanned images or copies will not be accepted. However, if your photo ID has expired it will be accepted as long as the photograph is still a good likeness to you.
If you do not have an approved ID, you will need to apply for a free 'Voter Authority Certificate' (VAC) – sometimes called a 'Voter Card' or 'Electoral Identification Document'. Voters will be able to apply online for a VAC through a new GOV.UK Voter Authority Certificate website.
Postal vote
Instead of going to your polling station you can apply to have a postal vote.
Postal Votes are available to everyone and can be sent to any address, even abroad, but do bear in mind that your ballot paper must be returned to us before close of poll on the day of election.
Which elections are you voting in?
Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections
You will have the option to apply for a postal vote for Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections via a new central government online system. Electors applying for a postal vote for these two election types will require their identity to be verified with DWP records when applying online but also when applying via a paper application.
Your application for these two election types will cover you for a maximum period of three years. A notice informing you of the need to reapply will be sent prior to this at the end of that time.
At a Parliamentary or Police and Crime Commissioner election, there will also be a limit to how many postal votes an elector can hand in at any polling station or council building. You will be allowed to take your own, and up to five others.
Senedd and Local Government elections
For Senedd and Local Government elections you will not be able to apply online for a postal vote but will have to complete a paper application. You can request one of these forms from your elections office or go online to download this form from the Electoral Commission website. No ID verification is required for these two election types.
Your application for these two election types can cover you for an indefinite period provided you continue to refresh your signature every five years. A request to refresh your signature will be sent to you by the elections office at the required time.
For electors who have a postal vote in place before 31 October 2023 - you do not need to do anything further. The elections office will contact you when you need to renew your postal votes for each election type.
Vote by proxy
If you are unable to go to the polling station on polling day you can apply to have a proxy vote: this is where you appoint somebody to vote for you. That person then goes along to your polling station and casts your vote.
Download proxy vote application forms on the Electoral Commission website
Which elections are you voting in?
Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections
There will be changes to the limit of how many people a voter can act as a proxy for. Currently a person can act as a proxy for an unlimited number of close relatives and two other electors.
Under the new rules for these election types, voters would be limited to acting as proxy for four people of whom only two can be domestic electors who live in the UK regardless of their relationship. (or a maximum of 4 people, with 2 people living in the UK and 2 people registered as living overseas).
If you choose to vote by proxy, then the person who you have trusted to vote on your behalf will have to take their own identification to be issued with a ballot paper.
Senedd and Local Government elections
There is no change to current rules i.e., you can be proxy for no more than two electors except where they are spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild of the elector.
I don't know
If you're not sure if you are registered to vote, complete our online form and we will check your details.
No
Registering online is the quickest way to register and only takes 5 minutes!
You will need to know your National Insurance Number and Date of Birth before you start!
Remember there is a deadline to apply to register before any election. This deadline is 12 working days before election day.
