How to Register to Vote
To be included on the Register of Electors you must be
- Aged 16 or over (you must tell us your date of birth if you are
under 18, so that you will be entitled to vote on your eighteenth
birthday)
and
- A British, Irish or Commonwealth Citizen, or
- A Citizen of a country in the European Union
and
- Resident at your address for at least six months in the
year
The registration form can be downloaded from this page. Please note
that this form cannot be used as part of the on-line or telephone
registration process as it has no property security codes. Please
put the form in an envelope and post it back to the address shown
on the form.
If you live at two addresses, for example, if you are a student
living away during term time or you have one address in the week
and another during weekends, you are entitled to register at either
address. However, you are committing an offence if you vote
from both addresses.
Do not register if:
- You are a foreign national and not a citizen of a member state
of the European Union or a Commonwealth country
- You are under 16 years of age
- You are serving a prison sentence
- Voting while living overseas
If you are a British citizen who lives outside of the UK, you
can continue to register for up to fifteen years from the date you
were last registered at an address in the UK. You can obtain an
application form either by contacting the British Embassy in your
country of residence, by contacting us or downloading the
application form.
If you are a member of the Armed Forces you can register as a
service voter. You can obtain further information by contacting
your Unit Registration Officer or the Elections Office, Council
Offices, South Street, Rochford, Essex SS4 1BW.