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Elections and Referendums
Registering to vote
You won’t automatically be registered to vote when you pay your Council Tax.
Who can register
If you live in England and Northern Ireland.
You must be aged 16 or over.
You can register to vote if you're a British or Irish citizen.
You can also register if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man - or you do not need permission - and you're a:
- Commonwealth citizen
- citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain
- citizen of another EU country, if you have had permission to enter or stay - or not needed permission - since 31 December 2020, and this has continued without break
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
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.