Voting in person

Voting in person takes place in polling stations on the day of an election or referendum. You cannot vote if you are not registered to vote. After you have registered to vote, the only way to cast your vote is in person unless you have also successfully applied for a postal or proxy vote.

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm on polling day. Staff inside the polling station will ask for your name and address, check the register, check your photo ID and then mark your name off the list before issuing your ballot paper(s).

More information about voting in person can be found on the Electoral Commission website.

Local elections 2026 deadlines

Local elections take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

• Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April
• The deadline to register to vote was midnight on Monday 20 April

Your allocated polling station

You can only vote at the polling station that has been designated to you.

Poll cards sent to polling station voters before an upcoming election will show the address of the elector’s allocated polling station, along with a map of the area.

Use the polling station finder from Democracy Club to find out where your polling station is.

Other voting methods (absent voting)

If you cannot visit your designated polling station on polling day, you can apply for a postal or proxy vote. Be mindful of the following application deadlines:

• Postal vote applications (including postal proxy) and requests to change existing postal arrangements (including cancellations) must reach us by 5pm, 11 working days before an election.
• New proxy vote applications (excluding emergency proxies and postal proxies) must reach us by 5pm, 6 working days before an election.

Help with voting in person

Our Accessible voting page gives details of options available to enable you to vote in person.

Please contact Electoral Services if you have any questions.