The right to vote in national and local elections may vary, depending on your age, citizenship, and where you live. 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. Voting is important as it gives you a say over who will be making decisions on the issues that are important to you.
What are the Different Election Types?
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: These are elections to the UK Parliament that 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. MPs represent the opinion of all people in their constituency, whether they voted for them or not, in the House of Commons. Find out who your current MP is: Find your MP
- Mayoral Elections: 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.
- Local Elections: These take place at least every 4 years. Not all local elections take place at the same time. 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. To find out who represents your ward, visit the Bath & North East Somerset website: Find your Local Bath Councillor
- Police and Crime Commissioner Elections: 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.
- UK-wide Referendum: This 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.
What are my Rights?
Below is an explaination of some of the rights you may have in relation to voting in local or national elections.
If you are unsure if you are ellgible, you can check on the Electoral Commission website: Check if you can register to vote and which elections you can vote in
You do not have to be a British citizen to vote in UK elections or referendums. To check if your from an elligible country, visit the Can I Vote website: Can I 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: Register to Vote
You must register to vote every time you change your address, so it is important to double-check you are registered. You will also have to register again if you have changed your name or nationality.
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.
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.
If you are from an elligible country, you can register to vote as normal through the UK Governments website: Register to Vote
You do not have to have a National Insurance number to register to vote and you can answer the questions in the following way:
- Question: 'What is your National Insurance number?'
- Answer: 'I can't provide a National Insurance number'
- Question: 'Why can't you provide a National Insurance number?'
- Answer by providing an explanation, for example, 'I have come to the UK to study and do not have a National Insurance number'
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 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 this tool: 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. You can find a full list of accepted voter IDs in each UK nation via the Electoral Commission: Accepted Forms of ID
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.
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
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
If an election is called in your home country while you are studying in the UK, and you wish to vote, contact your country's Embassy or High Commission in the UK for advice. An overseas vote may require you to register and vote earlier than normal, so get advice as soon as possible after the election has been called.
Below are some useful links for support and guidance: