How and Where to Vote

Who is eligible to vote?

To vote in elections you must:

• be 18 years old or over on the day of the election;

• be a British, Commonwealth, Irish or European Union citizen;

• not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote, such as being in prison;

• be registered on the Electoral Register.

European Union citizens can only vote in local elections.

Voting at a Polling Station

You can vote at your polling station between 7:00am and 10:00pm on polling day.  From 4 May 2023, you will need to show photo ID before you can vote.  Polling staff will check your details and your photo ID and give you your ballot paper(s).  Once completed, your ballot papers should be placed in the ballot box. 

More information regarding Voter ID (Opens in a New Window)

Find my polling station (Opens in a New Window)

Voting by Post

Deadline for applications:  5:00pm on the 11th working day prior to an election

You can apply to vote by post online at any time and for any reason.  You can also download and complete a postal vote application form (Opens in a New Window). You will need to provide your national insurance number when you apply.

Postal votes are normally sent approximately 10 days before the election.  We can send postal votes overseas, but please remember that completed postal votes must be received by 10:00pm on election day; any later than this and your vote will not be counted.

If you wish to cancel your postal vote, you must do this in writing before the deadline above.

Apply to vote by post online or submit a completed paper application forms by:

• post to Electoral Services, Broxtowe Borough Council, Council Offices, Foster Avenue, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1AB
• by email to postalvotes@broxtowe.gov.uk.  Applications submitted by email must include a hand written signature (we cannot accept digital signatures) and the attachments must be clear, full sized, good quality images.  Jpeg images are our preferred format.

Voting by proxy

Deadline for applications:  5.00pm on the 6th working day prior to an election

Voting by proxy means appointing someone to cast your vote on your behalf and telling them which candidate(s) you want to vote for.   You can apply to vote by proxy for a specific election online or you can apply for a permanent proxy by downloading and completing an application form (Opens in a New Window) but must have a reason for voting in this way.

Your proxy must:

• be at least 18 years old and registered to vote;

• be eligible to vote at that election themselves;

• only be a proxy for a maximum of 4 people and no more than 2 of those people can be domestic electors.  Domestic electors are voters who are neither overseas voters nor service voters;

• be able to place your vote at your local polling station, ensuring that they have acceptable photo ID with them or apply to vote by post on your behalf by the postal voting deadline above.

Proxy Voting for all elections

If you would like to vote by proxy for all future elections, your application must be supported by a medical professional, employer, tutor or other qualified person listed on the application form.

It is not currently possible to apply for permanent proxy votes online but you can download an proxy voting application form.  Please submit completed application forms by:

• post to Electoral Services, Broxtowe Borough Council, Council Offices, Foster Avenue, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1AB
• by email to postalvotes@broxtowe.gov.uk.  Applications submitted by email must include a hand written signature (we cannot accept digital signatures) and the attachments must be clear, full sized, good quality images.  Jpeg images are our preferred format.

Proxy voting at one election only

You can apply to vote by proxy for one election.  You must give a reason for your application but do not need it supporting.

Apply to vote by proxy for one election online or submit completed paper application forms by:

• post to Electoral Services, Broxtowe Borough Council, Council Offices, Foster Avenue, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 1AB
• by email to postalvotes@broxtowe.gov.uk.  Applications submitted by email must include a hand written signature (we cannot accept digital signatures) and the attachments must be clear, full sized, good quality images.  Jpeg images are our preferred format.

Emergency Proxies

Deadline:  5:00pm on Election day

You can apply for an emergency proxy vote for medical or employment reasons after the normal proxy voting deadline.  You must give a reason for the application and declare that you could not have made your application earlier.  Your application must be supported by a medical professional or employer.

Further information and emergency proxy application forms are available from Electoral Services.

Privacy Notice

Please view the privacy notice for electoral registration. (.pdf) (30.8KB) (Opens in a New Window)