Ways to vote

Make a difference in local and national decisions by registering to vote in UK elections or referendums. Most people go to a polling station in person to vote but you can cast your vote in other ways.

Vote in person

If you are voting in person, you must bring a form of ID.

If you’ve registered and are eligible to vote, the local elections office will send a poll card telling you where and when to vote. You can still vote if you have misplaced your poll letter, you don’t have to take it with you to the polling station.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm
Provide your name and address, address and photographic ID to polling station staff
You will be issued with a ballot paper and this will list the candidates you can vote for
Take your ballot paper into the polling booth and follow the displayed instructions – you can use your own pen
Fold your ballot paper and put it in the ballot box

If you’re disabled the election staff are able to help you. The polling stations will have wheelchair access, equipment for visual impairment and low-level polling booths.

Other ways to vote

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Vote by post

You can request a postal vote for a single election or for the next 3 years. You do not need a reason to request a postal vote, however, if you need your postal ballot papers to be sent to an alternative address, you will need to supply a reason why.

Applying Online

When you submit an online application, you will need the following:

To be on the electoral register
Your name, address and date of birth
National Insurance Number
An image of your signature on plain, white paper.

Your signature will be stored so that we can match this to your signature when you return your ballot paper with your vote. If this information does not match, then your vote will not be counted.

If you cannot find or do not have a National Insurance number, or it cannot be matched, you will be contacted for further information to prove your identity. This will involve providing documentary evidence, if you cannot supply documentary evidence then you will have to provide an attestation.

You must have completed an application to vote by post at least 11 working days before an election.

Apply for a postal vote

Completing the postal vote

Rule changes for postal votes

From 2 May 2024, there are new rules to the handling of postal votes.

Read more at Postal voting new rules.

If your postal vote is spoiled – do not throw it away.

To get a replacement you need ring the Elections office 01472 324160 and they’ll need your spoiled paper before they can issue a new one.

Your ballot paper will arrive in the post with instructions you must follow
On the postal voting statement, you must sign it and put your date of birth – this statement is scanned and will verify that this is your vote
Seal your marked ballot paper and signed postal voting statement in the envelope provided
Please post your vote back as quickly as possible to make sure it’s counted
If you miss the return date deadline, you can still take your vote to the polling station by 10pm

Changing your postal vote

If you already vote by post and something changes, it’s important that you complete a new postal vote application form.

Re-registering to vote by post

Following changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, postal voters are now required to reapply for their postal vote every three years.

Postal voters who applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024 must renew their postal vote application no later than 31 January 2026.

The electoral services team are sending out letters and emails to these residents who registered to vote on or before 30 January 2024, and who need to renew their information in order to retain their postal vote.

You do not have to wait to receive a re-application reminder to renew your postal vote: you can apply online at any time by visiting Apply for a postal vote – GOV.UK.

Initially, we will be contacting postal voters who have supplied us with their email address. To check that any email you have received is genuine:

The email title will be ‘Request to renew your Postal Vote’

The email will be sent from ‘[email protected]’

You do not have to wait to receive our re-application reminder to make a new application. You can apply online at any time by visiting www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote

All other affected postal voters for whom we do not hold an email address will receive an invitation to renew their postal vote by post from November 2025.

The quickest and easiest way to reapply for a postal vote is online using this link: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote

If you are an existing postal voter and receive an email but another member of your household has not received the email, this may be because we do not hold an email address for them, but they can still complete a postal vote application.

As part of your online application, you will be required to provide your:

Date of birth

National Insurance Number

Upload a photo or scanned copy of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.

The Elections Act 2022 introduced the following changes for voters who applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024:

Applications can be made online

All postal vote applications must contain your name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and signature

When you apply to vote by post your identity is checked against information held by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). In some instances, this identity check fails, and you will be asked to supply evidence of your identity

Postal vote applications are now valid for a maximum period of three years and a new application must be made at the end of that time.

You can spot a genuine email from us as:

The email title will be ‘Request to renew your Postal Vote’

The email will be sent from ‘[email protected]’

Some members of the same household may be contacted in different ways depending on whether we have an email address or not.

If you are concerned about clicking on the link contained within the email you can visit the government website, www.gov.uk and search for “apply for a postal vote”.

We are using emails where a voter has provided an email address to reduce the cost of sending letters by post to over 8,000 postal voters. Please help us by responding as soon as possible.

You can apply for a postal vote online.

As part of your application, you will need to provide:

Your date of birth

Your National Insurance number

Upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.

If you are unable to complete your application online, you can download a paper application form. You can also request a paper application form by emailing [email protected] or call 01472 324160.

If you are unable to provide a signature or a consistent signature but still want to vote by post, you can apply for a postal vote without giving your signature – a ‘Signature Waiver’.

You can apply for a signature waiver postal vote on gov.uk/apply-postal-vote. You will be required to provide a reason why you are unable to provide a consistent signature.

If you have had help completing the application, that person will be required to supply their details.

If you prefer to complete a paper application, please contact us by phone or email and request a postal vote signature waiver application form to be sent to you.

Find out how to upload your signature on the Government’s website.

You must prove your identity as part of the application process.

Your National Insurance number is used to verify your details against records held by Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). If this identity check fails, you will be contacted to provide evidence of your identify, such as a copy of your passport or driving licence.

Get help to find your National Insurance number.

If you are unable to provide your National Insurance number, you’ll need to provide some documents so that we can confirm your identity.

Cancellation of postal votes must be made in writing. If you no longer wish to have a postal vote in place for future elections, please email [email protected] with your name, address and request the cancellation of your postal vote.

Please be aware that if you are no longer a postal voter, you will need to take an accepted form of photo ID with you to vote in a polling station.

Postal votes can now only be in place for a maximum of three years and you will need to reapply by the third 31 January after your last application.

As well as providing your National Insurance number on your application, you must also provide your date of birth and signature – your ‘personal identifiers’.

When you cast your vote by post you are required to complete and return a statement giving your personal identifiers. These are then checked against those you provided on your application to check that they match. If they do not match, your vote will not be counted and your postal vote rejected.

This is a security measure to prevent someone else from using your vote.

Your personal identifiers are always kept separate from your ballot paper, so no-one knows how you have voted.

Vote by proxy

If you’re unable to vote at your polling station we suggest applying for a postal vote. If that isn’t suitable and you need someone to vote on your behalf you can apply for a proxy vote. Unlike a postal vote there is a unique criteria to have a proxy vote and you must provide a reason for your application.

a physical condition that means you can’t vote in person or by postal
attending a course for educational purposes and won’t make it to your polling station
unable to vote due to work or being away

Apply for a proxy vote

Find where you need to vote

Your polling station will be listed on your poll card, if you do not have your polling card do not assume the station closest to you is where you can vote.

Or you can simply enter your postcode on the Where do I vote? website. Please note this information may not be up to date for by-elections. If you are unsure you can call our elections helpline on 01472 324160.

Where do I vote?

Contact details

Elections, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU

Elections team contact form

Telephone: 01472 324160

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