You must be registered in order to vote. All eligible citizens can register.

You must be a resident of an area in order to vote there.

16 and 17 year olds can apply to register, so that they are able to vote as soon as they turn 18.

If you move house or change your nationality you’ll need to re-register. If you have changed your name, it's easier to apply to re-register online, or you can ask your local electoral office for a change of name form.

There are special arrangements in place to help certain groups of people to vote:

Anonymous registration - You can register anonymously if you are concerned about your name and address appearing on the electoral register because you think that it could affect your safety, or the safety of someone in your household.

Service voters have special arrangements available to them. These include members of HM Forces and their spouses/civil partners, as well as Crown Servants and employees of the British Council posted overseas.

Declaration of local connection It is possible to declare a connection to a local area in order to vote, if you do not have a fixed address, you have been held on remand, or you are a long-term patient in
a mental hospital.

There are a number of exceptions to these rules. Find out more at yourvotematters.co.uk. 

A person can only vote in an election taking place in the area in which they have been registered.

To vote for your MP you must be:

• Registered to vote in the area;
• 18 or above on polling day; and
• A British citizen, qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or citizen of the Republic of Ireland.

British citizens resident overseas are also eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary elections provided they were last registered to vote in the UK within the past 15 years.

For other elections (see list below) you must be:

• Registered to vote in the area;
• 18 or above on polling day (16 in Scotland); and
• A British citizen, qualifying Commonwealth citizen, citizen of the Republic of Ireland or citizen of another EU Member State resident in the UK.

When a person is registered in more than one place, they can vote in local government elections in two (or more) different places. In this case, they are not casting more than one vote in an election to the same body, but voting to elect councillors to different councils.

Once registered to vote you do not need to do so again, unless you change your name, nationality or address. Electoral Registration Officers contact each household in their area each year to confirm that the registration details they hold for that property are accurate.

If you are registered to vote, you will also receive a poll card about six weeks before the elections.

If you are unsure if you are registered already, you can check with us by emailing elections@southsomerset.gov.uk. Please ensure your email includes your name and address so we can check our systems correctly.

There is no automatic registration process, so unless you have registered individually, you are not on the electoral register.

If you would like to cancel a current postal or proxy vote please email elections@southsomerset.gov.uk

You will need to include:

• Your name
• Your address
• A statement that you wish to cancel you postal voting (or proxy voting) arrangements with immediate effect

Please note that should you wish to cancel a postal vote when an election has been called, this must be done before the postal vote application deadline.

We've produced a short video that shows you exactly what happens at a Polling Station. 

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm for all UK elections, so everyone should have time to vote. If you can’t make it to the polling station you can apply for a postal vote or ask someone else to cast your vote for you (a proxy).

The electoral register (sometimes called the ‘electoral roll’) lists the names and addresses of everyone who’s registered to vote.

Use the register to vote service to:

• get on the electoral register
• update your details (for example change your name or address)

To check whether you’re already on the register, contact us. 

Further guidance on the Electoral Register is available through the Government website.

The Open Register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. It is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed.

Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

If you are on the open register and don't want to be, contact us.

You can find more information on political parties’ policies and manifestos on their websites.

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