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Who is eligible to vote in elections and referendums in the UK
There are different types of UK elections. The most common ones are:…
General elections (elections to the UK Parliament) usually take place…
Local government elections take place at least every 4 years. Not all…
There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). To vote in…
There are 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the Northern…
There are 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs). To vote in Senedd elections you…
Elected local mayors In some areas of England voters elect a mayor. Check…
There are 41 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales…
A referendum is a vote on a single issue. You usually make one choice…
An overview of voting in the UK, including voting in person, postal and proxy voting, and voting if you're abroad.
You need to be registered to vote before you can vote in UK elections or…
You vote in person at a polling station (usually in a public building,…
You must apply for a postal vote if you want to vote by post, for example…
If you’re unable to vote in person you can ask someone to vote on your…
How you vote when you’re abroad depends on: whether you’ll be abroad…
You’ll need to show photo ID when voting in person in some UK elections or…
You may be asked to vote on behalf of someone else if they’re unable to…
Challenge the result of an election if you think it was not run properly, issuing and serving an election petition, and what happens at the hearing and trial
You may be able to challenge the result of an election if you think it was…
To challenge an election you must apply to the Election Petitions Office.…
After you apply, the Election Petitions Office will tell you how much to…
You should only contact the people you’re complaining about (‘the…
Contact the Election Petitions Office to set the date for the hearing. You…
How to vote if you move or live abroad, including eligibility and registration
If you can’t vote in person, someone can vote for you. You can tell them who to vote for. This is called a proxy vote.
Get on the electoral register so you can vote in elections and referendums.
Use this service to apply for a postal vote in, general elections and other UK Parliamentary elections, local elections in England (including mayors), Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales, referendums and MP recall petitions.
Get on the electoral register so you can vote in elections and referendums as a member of the armed forces.
Use this service to apply to vote by proxy in general elections and other UK Parliamentary elections, local elections in England (including mayors), Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales, referendums, MP recall petitions.
You can register to vote if you don't have a fixed address.
Find out how and when you can make a claim or election, and what information you need to include.
Information on the different types of council and their electoral arrangements.
The Access to Elected Office Fund helps disabled people with the costs of standing for election - what you'll get, who is eligible and how to apply
Apply for photo ID to vote (Voter Authority Certificate) in some elections and referendums in Great Britain if you do not have an accepted form of ID.
If you aren’t able to cast your vote in person, you can have someone you trust cast your vote for you in a particular election or referendum.
If you're a British citizen living overseas, then you can apply to vote by proxy.
Use this form to apply to vote by post. You'll need to send the completed form to your local Electoral Registration Office.
Getting on the electoral register, what happens if you do not register to vote, registering in more than one place, how to opt out of the 'open register', registering anonymously and how to view the electoral register
If you can’t vote in person due to a disability, then you can apply to vote by proxy.
Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.
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