Registering People to Vote
It’s really important that the people we support are educated in how elections work, understand their rights, and feel empowered to vote, if they choose to.
Before supporting people to make informed decisions around voting and casting their vote, we first need to ensure that they are registered and have the correct identification to vote.
Voting deadlines:
If someone was not already registered to vote in any UK elections or referendums, the deadline to register to vote in the Local Elections on Thursday 4th May was 11.59pm on Monday 17th April.
If you’re not registered and have missed the deadline, you can still take part in future elections and referendums by clicking here to register someone.
Once someone is registered to the electoral register, they will be eligible to vote in all forthcoming Local and National Elections.
You can access an easy read guide on registering someone to vote by clicking here.
To vote in person
The voting legislation has changed this year. To vote in person, people now need to present an accepted photo ID at the polling station – such as a UK passport, Driver’s Licence or Blue Badge.
If the person you support does not have an accepted photo ID and wants to vote in person, they needed to have applied for a Voter Authority Certificate by 5pm on Tuesday 25th April. Though this deadline has now passed, the person you support can still apply for a Voter Authority Certificate to use in future elections and referendums. Click here to apply.
To vote by post
To vote by post in May’s Local Elections, voters needed to have applied for a postal vote by the deadline on Tuesday 18th April. However, you can download a postal voting application form for future elections here.
Voting by proxy
People who have a disability can apply for a trusted person to vote on their behalf if they prefer – this is known as a proxy voter. The deadline to apply for proxy voting passed on Tuesday 25th April, though you can still apply for proxy voting in future elections here.
More information and guidance
We understand that the voting process can feel difficult or daunting for people with support needs.
To help Support Workers and family members to support people in making decisions around voting, check out our Promoting our Voting guide, produced alongside our Quality Advisors.