Register to vote

You must be on the register of electors to be able to vote.

if you are eighteen years or over
all British, Commonwealth, Irish and other European Union citizens
overseas electorsmembers of HM Forces and their spousescrown servants employed outside the United Kingdom
European citizens are allowed to vote in European and Local Elections only
overseas Electors are allowed to vote in Parliamentary and European Elections only

How to apply

Each year, during the Autumn, we send Voter Registration Forms to each property. The forms are pre-printed with the names of those people who are currently registered at that address. If any of the names have changed or your name is missing, you should correct the form and send it back by post. Every property is required to respond and the details we receive are used to produce the new Register of Electors published by 1st December.

You can be added to the Register during the rest of the year by contacting the Election Helpline. This is called Rolling Registration and the Register is updated on a monthly basis from December through to August. This is ideal if you have missed the opportunity to register during the Annual Canvass.

Large print forms and forms in other languages are available to download from the About My Vote website.

If you are not included in the electoral register you cannot vote at elections even if, for example, you are registered to pay Council Tax.

Armed forces

If you are in the armed forces, you can register at home but you may need to ask for a postal vote or appoint a proxy if you are unlikely to be in the UK when an election is called. You can also register as a service voter.

Overseas electors

If you are a British Citizen living overseas you may be entitled to register as an overseas elector. For further information please contact the Election Helpline.

Students

A student who has a permanent home address and a term-time address can be lawfully registered at both addresses. If an elector is registered to vote in two different electoral areas, they are eligible to vote in local elections for the two different local councils. However, it is an offence to vote twice in any one election. Such an offence could result in a fine of up to £5,000.

Unable to vote in person?

If so you might want to register to vote by Post or Proxy. Simply tick the box on your form. We will then send you a separate application form for a postal vote or proxy vote.

The Full and Edited Register – What are they?

There are two versions of the electoral register, the full register and the edited register.

The full register is used for elections, the prevention and detection of crime and checking applications for credit. It lists the names of everyone who is entitled to vote in the Derbyshire Dales District Council area.

The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose including commercial activities such as marketing.

Your details will appear on the full register but you can choose not have your name showing on the edited register.