Eligibility to Vote  

To be eligible to vote your name must appear on the Register of Electors.  Please follow the links to obtain information on how to register to vote under the annual canvass procedures or the monthly rolling registration process.

Generally, to be included in the Register of Electors a person must be:

• resident in the District of Hart on the date of the application
• a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of another member state of the European Union (Commonwealth citizens and those of British Dependent Territories together with citizens of European member states can check their eligibility by looking at the list below)
• 18 years old and over

Special arrangements apply to:

• 16 and 17 year olds. If you will be 18 on or before 1 December next you should register now so that you are able to vote on or after your 18th birthday.
• Students may register at both their home address and their college or university address. It is not an offence to register twice, but you may only vote once in any election.
• Overseas Electors. Many British Citizens living abroad have the right to vote at European or Parliamentary elections held in the UK.
• Service personnel have the choice of registering annually under a service declaration or as an ordinary voter.
• Homeless people may register at the address or place where they spend a substantial part of their time either during the day or at night.
• Citizens of European Union member states (apart from Britain and Ireland) may register to vote at local government elections. Separate application may be made to register to vote at European Parliamentary elections. There is no entitlement to vote at UK Parliamentary elections.
• Remand prisoners may register at the institution where they are currently resident or at the address they would have been resident or have previously lived.
• Mental health patients, either voluntary or detailed (but not those detained for criminal activity) may register at the institution where they are currently resident or at the address they would have been resident or have previously lived.
• Person(s) whose safety is at risk (i.e. people escaping domestic violence) if there identity were in the public domain, can apply for anonymous registration.

Nationalities  

To vote in any election you must be a British Citizen or a citizen of the Irish Republic. You can also vote in any election if you are a Commonwealth Citizen (born in any of the countries listed below and identified in Schedule 3 of the British Nationality Act 1981).

Commonwealth Countries

British Dependant Territories

In addition citizens from Hong Kong are entitled to register if they are of the following status:

• British National (Overseas)
• British Overseas Citizen
• British Dependant Territories Citizen

Citizens of the European Union have the right to vote at European and Local Elections in the country of their residence. However, European Union citizens may not participate in UK Parliamentary Elections.

European Union Member States

** Citizens of Cyprus and Malta, as Commonwealth citizens, and citizens of the Irish Republic may vote at all elections in the UK.