There are different types of UK elections depending on who is being elected or what is being decided. Elections are your way to decide who has power. If you don’t vote, you’ll have no say over who will be making decisions on the issues important to you.
Different elections and referendums in the UK have different rules about who can vote. This means that not everyone can vote in every situation.
General elections (elections to the UK Parliament) usually take place every 5 years. You vote once for a candidate in your constituency and the candidate with the most votes becomes your MP. You must be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’) to vote.
MPs represent the opinion of all people in their constituency, whether they voted for them or not, in the House of Commons.
Find your MP
Local elections take place at least every 4 years. Not all local elections take place at the same time. You must be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’) to vote.
Local councillors oversee the work of the council and set the strategies and priorities. When you vote in local elections, you vote for councillors to represent your ward.
Local councils provide services and facilities in your area which can differ depending on the type of council you live in. For example, Bath & North East Somerset Council is a unitary authority meaning it provides all services and facilities in the area. For more information click here.
Find your Local Bath Councillor
In some areas of England, voters elect a mayor, but Bath is not one of them. If you can register to vote in a different area,
you can check if they have a mayor here.
PCCs make sure that the local police in their area are meeting the needs of the community. You must be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’) to vote.
For more information click here.
A referendum is a vote on a single issue. You usually make one choice between 2 options. In a referendum, votes are usually counted for the whole of an area, not by constituency.
Registering to Vote
You need to register to vote on the UK Government’s website. You can also find information about registering using a paper form on this website.
You will be asked to provide your name, your date of birth, your nationality and your National Insurance number. If you do not know your National Insurance number, you can get assistance in finding it here.
Register to Vote
Students are allowed to register to vote at more than one address if they consider both places to be a permanent home.
We know that students often split their time between their term-time address and their home address, so it's important that you are registered at both.
Depending on the election, you may also be able to vote in both locations. In General Elections, referendums and devolved parliamentary elections it is illegal to vote in two places, but in other elections, such as council elections you can vote in both areas if the addresses are in different council areas.
You must register to vote every time you change your address.
We know that students change address more than most people, so it’s important that students double-check that they are registered to vote: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
You also need to register again if you have changed your name or nationality.
The deadline to register to vote in a UK election or referendum is usually 12 working days before polling day. You can register to vote up until 23:59 on the day of the deadline.
Being registered to vote could improve your credit score because banks and other lenders often use the Electoral Roll to help verify your identity.
This could help when it comes to things like taking out a mobile phone contract, especially if you do not have a long credit history.
Voting on Election Day
You vote in person at a polling station, which tends to be a public building such as a school, community centre or local hall.
You will be sent a poll card before an election or referendum telling you the location of your polling station. You will only be able to vote at the polling station on your poll card.
If you have forgotten where your polling station is, you can check by entering your postcode into the tool below
Find Your Polling Station
Polling stations are open between 7 am and 10 pm on the day of an election or referendum.
If you are in the queue to vote at the polling station by 10 pm, you will be allowed to vote.
New laws mean you now have to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in General Elections in the UK.
Accepted forms of voter IDs according to the Electoral Commission include:
- Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
- Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)
- Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card) such as the free CitizenCard: https://www.nus.org.uk/citizencard
You do not have to take your poll card with you, and you can still vote if you have lost your poll card.
You can find a full list of accepted voter IDs in each UK nation via the Electoral Commission below.
Accepted Forms of ID
Staff at the polling station will ask for your name and address. In some elections and referendums, including General Elections, you will need to show a Photo ID to confirm your identity.
You’ll be given a ballot paper containing a list of the people, parties or options you can vote for.
There will be instructions at the top of the ballot paper and on notices in the polling station on how to fill in your ballot paper.
There are two ways to vote without voting in person: voting by post or voting by proxy (applying for someone else to vote on your behalf). We have further details and guidance on these below.
You must apply for a postal vote if you want to vote by post.
As a student, you may want to apply for a postal vote if you want to vote at your home address but are living at your term-time address, or vice-versa.
You may also want to vote by post if you are out of the country on the day of an election or referendum such as on a study year abroad. You do not need to give a reason unless you are voting in Northern Ireland.
You can apply for a postal vote:
If you plan to vote by post in Northern Ireland, use this form.
You can apply for a postal vote for A) a single election on a specific date, B) a specific period if you want to vote in England, Scotland or Wales, or C) up to three years.
Apply for Postal Vote
Voting by proxy is where you ask a trusted person to vote on your behalf in an election or referendum. You can only apply for a proxy vote under certain circumstances, which include:
- You will be abroad or away from your home constituency on polling day
- You are registered as an overseas voter
- You have a medical issue or disability
- You cannot vote in person because of work commitments or military service
You can apply for a proxy vote:
If you plan to vote by proxy in Northern Ireland, use this form.
You must apply for a proxy vote by 5 pm 6 working days before polling day in England, Scotland and Wales, and by 5 pm 14 working days before polling day in Northern Ireland.
Apply for Proxy Vote
Anyone can act as your proxy if they are A) Registered to vote, B) eligible to vote in the election or referendum, and C) can vote in the polling station stated on your poll card.
Your proxy must take their photo ID with them if it is required for that election.
If they cannot get to the polling station on your poll card, they can contact your local Electoral Registration Office to arrange to cast their proxy vote by post: https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office
Yes, you can change or cancel who acts as your proxy by contacting your local Electoral Registration Office: https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office