Local Elections 2022: Register to Vote

Submitted 23 Mar 2022 2:35pm
in


a) Deadline for registering to vote

Register by 11:59pm on 14 April to vote in the following elections on 5 May2022:

  • local government, combined authority mayoral, mayoral and parish council elections in England
  • local government and community council elections in Wales
  • Northern Ireland Assembly election

Register by 11:59pm on 18 April to vote in the local government elections in Scotland on 5 May 2022.

b) Register online

You can register online here: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

It usually takes about 5 minutes. You’ll be asked for your National Insurance number (but you can still register if you do not have one).

After you’ve registered, your name and address will appear on the electoral register.

There’s a different process to register anonymously, for example if you’re concerned about your safety or the safety of someone in your household.

Check if you’re already registered: contact your local Electoral Registration Office to find out if you’re already registered to vote.

c) Who can register

You must be aged 16 or over (or 14 or over in Scotland and Wales) in order to register to vote. You must also be one of the following:

  • a British citizenan Irish or EU citizen living in the UK
  • a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission
  • a citizen of another country living in Scotland or Wales who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission

You can check which elections you’re eligible to vote in here.

You can vote when you’re 18 or over. If you live in Scotland or Wales, you can vote in some elections when you’re 16 or over. Check this link for more guidance on which elections you can vote in if you're aged 16 or over.

Note: You normally only need to register once - not for every election. You’ll need to register again if you’ve changed your name, address or nationality.

d) Update your registration

You can also use the ‘Register to vote’ service to:

• change your name, address or nationality
• get on or off the open register

To do this, you need to register again with your new details (even if you’re already registered to vote).

e) Register using a paper form

You can register using a paper form in England, Wales and Scotland.

You’ll need to print, fill out and send the form to your local Electoral Registration Office. (https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office)

If you’re in Northern Ireland, register using a paper form and return it to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland

f) If you live abroad,

You can use this service to register to vote (or to renew or update your registration) if you both:

  • are a British citizen
  • were registered to vote within the last 15 years (or, in some cases, if you were too young to register when you were in the UK)

You may need your passport details.

If you previously lived in Northern Ireland and want to vote there, use the Northern Ireland overseas elector registration form.

If you’re a public servant posted overseas: There’s a different service for public servants (and their spouses and civil partners) who are posted overseas as:

g) Get help registering

You can get help registering from your local Electoral Registration Office.

There’s an easy to read guide about registering to vote.

h) Other relevant information

How to vote guides

• An overview on how to vote can be found here
• Voting and coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Voting in person
• Voting by post

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