How to vote
Who to vote
To vote in the Local Council Election, you must:
- be registered to vote
- be 18 or over on the day of the election
- be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth
- an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights
- not be legally excluded from voting
Register to vote
You must be registered and on the electoral register to vote.
If you have not registered you need to do this before Monday 20 April.
Vote in person
On the day of election (Thursday 7 May) you must vote at your designated polling station.
You'll receive a poll card in the post with the details of your polling station on it. You can also search your polling station using your post code.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 7 May.
Remember to bring acceptable photo ID when you go to vote.
If you do not have the right photo ID to vote, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate before 5pm on Thursday 28 April.
Vote by post
If you're unable to vote in person on the day of an election you can apply to vote by post.
The deadline to apply for a postal vote in the local election is before 5pm on Tuesday 21 April.
Proxy vote
You can nominate someone else to vote on your behalf.
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote in the general election is before 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.
How to complete your ballot papers
You may have two or three choices on your white ballot paper depending on your ward.
Mark a cross next the candidates of your choice.
