You as a Citizen

About Voting

Why Vote?

Choices are made on your behalf every day, on issues such as what is happening in your schools and colleges, the health service, the armed forces and the environment. Voting is one of the ways you can make your voice heard on issues that matter to you. If you are over 18 you can vote in elections for local councils, the UK parliament and the European parliament.

You can turn to your local councillor or MP for advice and help on all sorts of issues. They will do what they can to help you or put you in touch with other agencies that can help you to sort out any problems.

Who can vote?

In order to vote in the UK you must be:

• 18 or over
• On the electoral register
• A British or EU citizen

Register to vote

You must be on the electoral register to vote in elections. You can download an electoral registration form.

Posting your vote

You can apply to vote by post for a particular election, for a set period of time or for all future elections. Postal votes can be sent out to addresses in the UK and abroad. Download a postal vote application.

Last Updated: 07-Oct-2009