Changes to voting in elections
The government is making changes to UK elections and the way we vote.
The government is making changes to UK elections and the way we vote.
You can appoint someone to vote on your behalf – this person is called a proxy
The proxy should be someone you trust to vote the way you ask them to. They can either vote at a polling station or by post.
Before you appoint a proxy you must first register to vote by proxy. You can do this by downloading a form from the GOV.UK website, completing it and sending it to us.
GOV.UK: apply for a proxy vote
You should complete and return the application form as soon as you can. We must receive all new applications by 5pm, 6 working days before the election.
After we receive your application, we will send:
When you register to vote by proxy, you need to give a reason why you can't vote in person. Acceptable reasons include the following:
If you are able to vote in person on the day of the election you can still do so, as long as your proxy has not already voted on your behalf.
If you want to appoint a proxy for more than one election, you need to give a reason why you can't vote in person. Acceptable reasons include the following:
Your proxy can vote by post but they must register to vote by postal proxy. To download an application form, go to the Electoral Commission website.
You should complete and return the application form as soon as you can. We must receive all new applications by 5pm, 11 working days before the election.
We will send the postal vote to the proxy with instructions on how to vote.
When you have registered for a proxy postal vote: