Elections and Referendums

Registering to vote

You won’t automatically be registered to vote when you pay your Council Tax.

You can register to vote if you’re:

• 16 or older
• a British citizen
• an Irish, eligible Commonwealth  or European Union citizen living in the UK

To register to vote, you’ll need your:

• National Insurance number
• date of birth

You’ll find your National Insurance number on payslips, your P60, tax returns and official letters about pensions or benefits.

If you need help with your National Insurance number, including if you've lost or forgotten it, visit GOV.UK for advice or to speak to an advisor using their web chat.

You can register to vote online by visiting the GOV.UK website. Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Services Team for a registration form.

When you register, you’ll be asked if you want to opt-out of the open register.

You'll need to be registered by a certain date to be able to vote. More information on upcoming elections, and dates you’ll need to register by, is available on the Upcoming Elections page.

Voter ID

From 4 May, 2023, you'll need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations.

For more information on Voter ID, read our news article or visit the Electoral Commission's website.

If you don't have photo ID

If you don't have accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate.