Plain guide
How voting works
What you need to know to cast a vote in the UK, in the order you need to know it. Nothing here favours any party; every link goes to the official source.
The short version
- Register. Five minutes online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. You must do this before the deadline on your ballot page.
- Know what you are choosing. An MP makes national laws. A councillor runs local services. Your ballot page says which.
- Pick how to vote. In person with photo ID; by post; or by proxy (someone you trust votes for you, as you tell them).
- Need help? Every polling station has large-print papers, a tactile device, seating and staff who will help. You can bring someone with you.
- On the day. One cross in one box. Ask for a new paper if you make a mistake.
1. Can I vote?
- UK Parliament elections: British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or over on polling day, registered at a UK address.
- Local council elections in England: also EU citizens with existing rights to vote, and some others; in Scotland and Wales, all residents with permission to stay, from age 16.
- You must be registered to vote. It takes about five minutes online. Students can register at both home and term-time addresses (but vote only once in the same election).
2. What am I voting for?
An MP represents your constituency in the House of Commons: they vote on national laws, taxes and budgets, and take up constituents' problems with government bodies. A councillor sits on your local council: it sets council tax, decides planning, runs social care, bins, parking, libraries and (in most areas) school admissions. A councillor cannot change income tax or NHS policy. Both are elected for a fixed area; you vote for a named person, and their party tells you what programme they stand with.
Most UK elections use first past the post: you mark one cross, and the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. Some elections (Scottish and Welsh parliaments, Northern Ireland, Scottish councils) use proportional systems; the ballot page tells you which applies.
3. Three ways to vote
- In person at your polling station, 7am to 10pm on polling day. You need accepted photo ID; a passport, driving licence or older person's bus pass all count. No ID? Apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
- By post: apply online. Your ballot is posted to you; return it before polling day or hand it in at a polling station.
- By proxy: someone you trust votes on your behalf, in the way you tell them. Useful if you are away, ill, or find polling stations hard to reach. Apply online. This is the option people know least about; it is entirely normal and secure.
4. Support if you are disabled or need help
- Every polling station must provide reasonable equipment: a tactile voting device, large-print ballot papers, a magnifier, seating, and a low-level booth. Ask staff; you do not need to explain why.
- You may bring a companion of your choice into the polling station, or ask the Presiding Officer to help you mark your ballot.
- If getting there is the problem, a postal or proxy vote removes the journey.
- The Electoral Commission's guidance: voting in person and additional support.
5. Deadlines for the elections we cover
- Tunbridge Wells Borough: Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Brighton and Hove City: Queen's Park ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Milton Keynes: New Bradwell ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- South Staffordshire: Wombourne North ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Cotswold District: Blockley ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Windsor and Maidenhead: Bray ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- North West Leicestershire District: Long Whatton & Diseworth ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Northumberland County: Amble ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Northumberland County: Hirst ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Stirling: Forth and Endrick ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Blackpool Borough: Claremont ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Highland: Wick and East Caithness ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Lambeth: Myatt's Fields ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Holborn and St Pancras: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Amber Valley Borough: Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook & Horsley ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough: Town ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Aberdeen City: Midstocket/Rosemount ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Stroud District: Rodborough ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Wiltshire: Salisbury Milford ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Mid Devon District: Bradninch ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Leicestershire County: Shepshed ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Flintshire County: Higher Kinnerton ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- South Kesteven District: Grantham St Wulfram's ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Carmarthenshire County: Saron ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- East Hertfordshire District: Hertford Kingsmead ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Leeds City: Calverley & Farsley ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Argyll and Bute: Mid Argyll ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
- Bassetlaw District: Worksop East ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
6. On the day
Take your ID. Tell the staff your name and address. Take the ballot paper to a booth, put one cross in one box, fold it, and put it in the box. It takes a minute. If you make a mistake, ask for a fresh paper.