How to vote

Before you can vote, you must be registered.

Once registered, you can vote:

• in person at a polling station
• by post
• by getting someone else to vote for you (a proxy vote) 

Vote in person

You’ll be sent a poll card in the post a few weeks before an election or referendum. It will tell 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.

Do I need photo ID to vote?

You will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in UK Parliament elections. There are rules for what this must be.

Find out what photo ID you'll need on GOV.UK.

If you do not have any accepted photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

Apply for a certificate on The Electoral Commission website.

Vote by post

If you are registered to vote, you can apply to vote by post. You do not need to give a reason.

Apply for a postal vote online

You can only apply for a postal vote online for UK Parliament elections.

Visit GOV.UK to apply for a postal vote online.

Apply for a postal vote by form

You can complete an application form to vote by post in the following elections:

•    UK Parliament
•    Scottish Parliament
•    Local government

You must send this form to your local Electoral Registration Office (ERO) for approval.

Download a postal vote application form on GOV.UK.

If you cannot print your form

You can ask your local ERO to send a form to you by post.

Find your local ERO on GOV.UK.

Register anonymously for a postal vote

If you’d like to vote by post anonymously, you must indicate this when you register to vote anonymously.

You will automatically be sent an application form to apply for a postal vote.

Find out more about voting anonymously on GOV.UK.

Vote by proxy

If you cannot vote in person, you can ask someone to vote for you. This is called a proxy vote.

You can only apply for a proxy vote under certain circumstances.

Find out if you can apply for a proxy vote on GOV.UK. 

Voting as a proxy for someone else 

You may be asked to vote on behalf of someone else if they’re unable to vote in person. 

Find out what you need to do on GOV.UK.