How to Vote at a Polling Station  

To vote in an election your name must appear on the Register of Electors. For information on how to register please click on the link. Approximately three weeks before a Local Authority election (slightly less for a Parliamentary election) you will be sent a Poll Card. This will give details of when and where to vote and what to do inside the Polling Station. The Poll Card is for information only, you do not need it to vote.

At the Polling Station, tell the clerk your name and address. You will be given a ballot paper(s) for the election(s) taking place in your electoral area on that day.

Take the ballot paper to one of the polling booths and mark a cross (X) in the box on the right hand side of the ballot paper opposite the name(s) of the candidate(s) you want to vote for. The ballot paper will indicate at the top how many candidates you may vote for. Do not vote for more than that number, your ballot paper will not be counted if you vote for too many candidates. Put no other mark on the ballot paper. If you spoil your ballot paper by mistake, return it to the Presiding Officer in charge of the Polling Station who will cancel the spoilt ballot paper and give you another one.

Having marked the ballot paper with your vote, fold it in two. Show the official mark to the Presiding Officer (making sure that no one sees your vote) and place it in the ballot box.

If you need assistance with voting, in the Polling Station you will find:

• a polling booth suitable for wheelchair users, most of our Polling Stations will also have a ramp for easier access to the building
• a large print ballot paper to assist partially sighted voters
• a device to enable blind or partially sighted voters to vote unaided

Anybody who cannot read or anyone who has a physical disability and is unable to vote without help may be aided by a companion or by the Polling Station staff who will be pleased to help those people requiring assistance.

If you are unable or unwilling to go to the Polling Station in person you can still vote by making use of a postal vote. Once you have been granted a Postal Vote you will not be able to vote in person at a Polling Station. For further information on voting by post please click on the link.

If you have appointed a proxy to vote in person on your behalf you may still vote in person yourself provided that you do so before your proxy has voted on your behalf. Please click on the link to find out more information on proxy voting.