2. How do I vote in an election?

Before you are able to cast your ballot in an election, you must be registered to vote at your current address – make sure you are by visiting the Register to Vote website.

Once you’ve registered to vote, you will only need to do so again if you have recently moved house or you have changed your name.

How do I find out that an election is happening?

Before the day of election, known as polling day, you will receive a card known as a ‘poll card’. Everyone who is registered to vote in your household will receive their own poll card.

Your poll card tells you where and when you can vote.

Unless you have told us otherwise, it will be assumed that you want to vote in person at the polling station. The address for your local polling station can be found on the front page of your poll card.

Closer to election day, you will also be able to find out where your local polling station is and who you can vote for by entering your postcode on our website.

How do I vote?

There are three ways to vote, just pick whichever suits you best and then follow the instructions:

1. You can vote in person by visiting a polling station – see our guides about what happens in a polling station on election day and on casting your vote in a polling station.

2. You can apply to vote post – see our guide on voting by post.

3. You can apply to allow someone you trust to vote on your behalf, know as a proxy vote – see our page on voting by proxy.