Voting (including postal and proxy)

How do I vote?

There are three different ways you can vote:

How you vote is up to you and will depend on what is the easiest and the most convenient way for you.

 

Voting in Person

If you are on the electoral register and eligible to vote, you will receive a poll card before the election telling you when and where to vote. The poll card is for your information only and you do not need it to vote.

Polling stations are often in schools or local halls near to where you live. Their opening hours are 7.00am to 10.00pm.

On arrival at your polling station, tell the staff (known as Presiding Officer or Poll Clerk) your name and address so they can check that you are on the electoral register.

The staff will hand you a ballot paper listing all the parties and candidates you can vote for.

You should take this ballot paper to the polling booth and mark an 'X' next to the candidate you wish to vote for. Do not write anything else on the ballot paper or your vote will not be counted.

Finally, fold the ballot paper in half and post it into the ballot box.

If you are not sure what to do, ask the staff at the polling station who will be happy to help you.

 

Voting by Post

Voting by post is an easy and convenient method of voting and means that you do not need to go to your polling station on election day.

Anyone who is on the electoral register can apply for a postal vote.

A postal vote can be used for a number of reasons, some of which are:

• because you are in poor health

• your work or study regularly takes you away from home

• you will be on holiday on election day

However, you do not need to give a reason to vote by post - it might simply be because it is more convenient for you.

You can apply for a postal vote at any time of the year; you do not have to wait until there is an election.

The postal vote is sent directly to you about two weeks before the day of the election. It can be sent to your home address or to any other address of your choice. However, if you want it sent to an address abroad, you would need to consider whether there will be enough time to receive and return your ballot paper by election day.

New legislation means that you must now give "Personal Identifiers" on the application to vote by post. These identifiers are: a signature and your date of birth.

When you receive your postal vote, you will need to provide your date of birth and signature on the postal vote statement that is returned along with your marked ballot paper. The “identifiers” will be crosschecked against your application form.

To request a postal vote application call 0151 691 8046 or download the postal vote application form. 

 

Voting by Proxy

Proxy voting enables you to appoint someone to vote on your behalf.

Anyone who is on the electoral register can apply for a proxy vote, however, unlike postal voting, you must provide a reason.

You can apply for a proxy vote if:

• You are unable to go to the polling station for a particular election, for example, if you are in hospital or away on holiday

• You have a physical condition that means you cannot go to the polling station on election day

• Your employment means that you cannot go to the polling station on election day

• Your attendance on an educational course means that you cannot go to the polling station on election day

• You are a British citizen living overseas

• You are a crown servant or a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces

Except if you are registered blind, you may have to get someone to support your application to confirm that your reason for applying to vote by proxy is valid.

The appointed person (your proxy) can vote on your behalf in two ways:

• in person at your polling station

• voting by post (known as a "postal proxy")

You can only apply for a proxy vote by calling the Election Office on tel. 0151 691 8046.

 

Emergency proxy applications

It is possible to apply for an emergency proxy vote on the grounds of a medical emergency. You can only do this at the time of an election by calling 0151 691 8046.