FAQs
Below are a series of Frequently Asked Questions about elections and voting. These questions have been updated for the May 2025 Elections and have been reviewed by the Electoral Commission.
Voter Registration
You can register to vote via the gov.uk website here, it takes about 5 minutes.
You need to include some basic information, such as your name, address and your National Insurance number.
You can register once you turn 16.
If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, then register again. There is no issue with registering twice and this ensures that the electoral office has the most up-to-date information about you.
If you want to check if you are registered somewhere you can contact your Electoral Registration Office here.
You need to register yourself, but if you need help the Electoral Commission has produced an âeasy-readâ version of the registration form in English and Welsh. People with a disability can get help completing an application, but the person who wants to register to vote has to sign the form.
A step-by-step, easy read guide to registering to vote for people with a learning disability can be found here.
You can still complete the registration form, but your elections team will then need to verify your identity in a different way, and may contact you separately to do this. If you find your National Insurance number later on, just complete the form again.
UK citizens are sent a letter with their National Insurance number when they turn 16. In the past this also included a National Insurance card.
If you have a job, your National Insurance number should be on your payslip. You might also want to search in your emails or messages for 'NI number' or 'National Insurance number' to see if you have a record of it.
No, you donât need to provide a photo ID when you are registering to vote.
However, you will need a photo ID to vote at the polling station, so it is a good time to check if you have a valid ID.
If you are concerned about your name and address appearing on the electoral register you need to fill in a form and explain why your safety - or that of someone in your household - would be at risk. Information about registering to vote anonymously can be found here.
No. When you register to vote you will get an option to opt in or out of the 'open register'. The open register is part of the electoral register (the names and addresses of people registered) but is not used for elections.
The open register can be bought by organisations and companies.
The electoral register (sometimes called the âelectoral rollâ) is a list of the names and addresses of everyone whoâs registered to vote. Unless you are on the âopen registerâ (see above) your details on the electoral register are not available to companies, although they are available for electoral purposes for election staff and political parties.
You can get on the electoral register by registering to vote. You can also register to vote anonymously here, where your details wonât be shared.
If you do not have a permanent address, you can register by completing an âelectoral registration form for someone with no fixed or permanent addressâ. The form, along with further details on registering to vote if you donât have a permanent address, can be found here.
Students can vote using their college/university address or their home address. It is legal to be registered in two areas, but a criminal offence to vote in both. If students are already registered at their home address, they could use a postal vote or proxy vote if they are not there on election day.
It is legal to be registered at more than one address, but it is a criminal offence to vote at more than one. If you are already registered at an address but wonât be there on election day, you could use a postal vote or proxy vote.
If you live in Great Britain you can find your local electoral registration office here.â
How to Vote and Voter ID
In England, you need to be 18 to vote in all elections, including local and regional elections.
If you are living in the UK and are a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen you can vote in all UK elections.
Qualifying foreign citizens are only applicable in Scotland and Wales. For Scotland - Scottish Parliament and Scottish local government elections. In Wales - Senedd and Welsh local government elections. Since all the local elections in 2025 are in England, no qualifying foreign citizens are eligible to vote.
If you are an EU citizen, you can vote in some local elections. The EU citizens are split into 2 categories:
- a qualifying EU citizen, or
- an EU citizen with retained rights
For more information on what this means for you and your local elections click here.
You can check which elections you can vote in using this tool: canivote.org.uk.
To vote at the polling station in the upcoming UK elections you need to provide a valid photo ID. This includes:
- A provisional driving licence.
- A passport.
- A PASS proof of age card.
- Biometric immigration document.
- National Identity card issued by EEA state.
Your ID can be expired, as long as the photo still looks like you.
To see the full list of valid IDs please click here.
If thereâs enough time before the election is due to take place, you can apply for one of the accepted forms of photo ID.
A list can be found here.
You could also apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate from your local council. The Certificate can then be used instead of a photo ID when voting.
You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate here.
A postal vote is when you vote by sending your vote in the post rather than going to the polling station. You may want to apply for a postal vote if you think you wonât be able to vote in person. You donât need a reason to apply to vote by post in Great Britain.
You need to apply to vote by post with your local elections team no later than 5pm, 14th April â but the sooner the better. You donât need to show a photo ID to apply to vote by post.
You can apply for a postal vote here.
A proxy vote is where someone votes on your behalf. You need to give a reason when applying for a proxy vote, such as being away during an election or being unable to vote in person due to a disability.
You can apply for a proxy vote here.
The deadline to apply to vote by proxy is by 5pm on 23rd April 2025
Nothing, if you donât vote your preferences will not affect the outcome of the election.
While voting is not compulsory in the UK, it is one of the best ways for you to influence who gets to run the country, so itâs important to vote if you can.
If you are living in the UK and are a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen you can vote in all UK elections.
Qualifying foreign citizens are only applicable in Scotland and Wales. For Scotland - Scottish Parliament and Scottish local government elections. In Wales - Senedd and Welsh local government elections. Since all the local elections in 2025 are in England, no qualifying foreign citizens are eligible to vote.
If you are an EU citizen, you can vote in some local elections. The EU citizens are split in 2 categories:
- a qualifying EU citizen, or
- an EU citizen with retained rights
For more information on what this means for you and your local elections click here.
The EU franchise applies to England, and in Wales to the Police and Crime Commissioner elections only.
You can check which elections you can vote in using this tool: canivote.org.uk.
Candidates, Manifestos and Political Parties
Enter your postcode in the box below to see which candidates you can vote for in the upcoming election.
A manifesto is a set of pledges that a political party makes when standing for an election. Although these pledges are not legally binding, they give voters an idea of what the party plans to do if they win power.
Understanding voting and the Political system
This year, local and regional elections are taking place in different parts of England
In these elections, voters will be electing members to county councils and unitary authorities and electing mayors to combined authorities and local authority
Check to see if your area has elections by filling in your postcode here.
A UK county council is a local government body responsible for services like education, transport, social care, and public infrastructure across a specific county. It manages budgets, policies, and community initiatives to support residents and promote regional development.
UK district, borough, and city councils are local authorities managing smaller areas within counties. They handle services like housing, waste collection, local planning, and leisure facilities. City councils typically govern urban areas, while borough and district councils oversee more diverse or suburban regions, focusing on community-specific needs.
The key difference between a county council and a district/borough/city council in the UK lies in their responsibilities and geographic scope:
County Councils:
- Operate at a higher tier of local government in two-tier areas.
- Cover large geographic areas (entire counties).
- Manage strategic services like education, transport, highways, social care, and libraries.
District/Borough/City Councils:
- Operate at a lower tier within counties.
- Cover smaller, localised areas (districts, boroughs, or cities).
- Handle services like housing, local planning, waste collection, and leisure facilities.
A unitary authority is a single-tier local government in the UK responsible for all local services, combining the roles of county and district councils. It manages services like education, transport, housing, planning, and waste across its area, streamlining governance by eliminating a two-tier structure.
The key difference between combined authority mayors and single authority mayors in the UK lies in their scope and responsibilities:
Combined Authority Mayors:
- Govern multiple local councils within a combined authority.
- Focus on regional strategies like transport, housing, and economic development.
- Have devolved powers negotiated with the central government.
Single Authority Mayors:
- Govern one specific local council (e.g., city or borough).
- Focus on local services like housing, waste, and planning within that area.
- Typically oversee a smaller area and have fewer powers compared to combined authority mayors.
Some elections are being postponed due to ongoing local government reorganisation and devolution plans. Several councils have requested election delays to facilitate these changes.
Your local area may be one looking to merge councils and/or simplify structures - with extra time requested to implement proposals, improve service delivery, and address financial challenges within reorganised authorities.
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