How and where to Vote
You can vote in person at a polling station, by post or by proxy. In order to vote you must be registered to vote.
When registering to vote you will automatically be registered to vote at the polling station unless you complete one of the application forms to vote by post or proxy.
You will receive a poll card before the election which will tell you where your polling station is. You don't need your poll card in order to vote but it is helpful to have with you.
Watch our video to discover what to expect at a polling station.
Details of where you can vote will be published prior to the election. If you have any queries, please contact Electoral Services on 01279 655 261 or e-mail electors@eastherts.gov.uk
The UK government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at elections. This new requirement was applied for the first time in England at the local elections on Thursday 4 May 2023. Visit our Voter ID page for requirements and additional information.
To vote by post in future elections, you must be a registered voter and complete the Postal Vote Application. You can have a postal vote for one election or for all future elections. If you chose all future elections, you will not need to register each time.
Once we have received your postal vote form we capture your date of birth and signature as personal identifiers of you to prevent fraud. We legally have to seek a fresh signature every 5 years as peoples' signatures change over time. We always confirm that we have received and set up your postal vote arrangements.
Postal votes are always sent out about 2-3 weeks before polling day and we will post you a postal poll card saying when you will receive your ballot paper.
Completed application forms must be returned via email electors@eastherts.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can print out and send on to our Hertford offices. Details of this can be found on our contact us page. We may be able to send you an application form in the post if required.
Your application form must be with us by 5pm 11 working days before an election. No Voter ID is required if you vote by post.
If you are unable to vote in person for a particular election, for example you are on holiday, you can get someone to vote for you and tell them who to vote for. This is called a proxy vote. To vote by proxy you and your proxy must be registered to vote and eligible to vote in that election. To vote by proxy you and your proxy must be registered to vote and eligible to vote in that election.
To do this you must complete the proxy vote application form.
Completed application forms must be returned either via email to electors@eastherts.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can print out and send on to our Hertford offices. Details of this can be found on our contact us page. If you have any trouble downloading the application form from this site, please call electoral services on 01279 655261 and we will send you an application form in the post.
If you would like to apply for a permanent proxy vote due to employment, a disability, living overseas etc, please visit the Electoral Commission website to download the relevant form. Any completed forms will need to go to electors@eastherts.gov.uk
As a proxy voter you will need to produce your own photo ID. However, you do not need to produce the ID for the elector on whose behalf you are voting.