Electoral Registration and Voting - Frequently Asked Questions

 Electoral Registration

Voting

 

How do I get on the register?

You can download and print a Voter Registration Form (pdf) where all members of a household can be entered on one form.

Please post the completed form to Electoral Services, Wealden District Council, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham BN27 2AX. You can register at any time of the year. The next revised register will be published on 17 February 2014. A list of changes to the register is published each month from January to September.

Anyone who has recently moved or is not registered where they are living needs to complete and return an electoral registration form.

When we have received your completed form we will add your name to our list of new applications. We will write to you when your name has been added to the electoral register. If you were previously registered outside the Wealden area and provide us with your previous address, we will tell the electoral registration officer for your old address so that your name can be removed from that register. If you were previously registered within the Wealden area and provide us with your previous address, we will be able to remove you from your old address and add you to your new one.

If your form is received between the end of November and the middle of August your name will be added via the monthly rolling registration process. Any forms received from mid August to late November will be dealt with at the same time as the annual registration forms sent to every household.

An electoral registration form will be sent to every household in the District during October this year. You must check the registration details for your address, make any changes and return the form. The form explains which people are allowed to vote so that the householder can make sure all eligible people are listed. All 16 and 17 year olds should be included. This is because they may reach the age of 18 (and therefore be able to vote) while the register is still being used. 

If there have not been any changes to the names and details given on the form and will not be by 15 October, then instead of signing it, folding it and taking it to a post box, you can telephone (using a touchtone phone) the FREEPHONE number given on your form. This number is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until a few days before the new register is published on 17 February. Alternatively, you can use the Internet Registration service - details as to how to do this are on the form. This service is also available 24 hours a day until a few days before the new register is published.

The annual electoral registration forms are not acknowledged individually but the new register is available for inspection at the Council's offices in Hailsham where you can check your own entry.

What happens then?

When the forms are returned, the electoral registration officer will compile and publish a new register of electors. The register will be published on 17 February 2014 and is used for elections held until 30 November 2014. Any monthly addition, deletion or amendment to the register will be valid for an election provided it is received by us at least 11 working days before polling day.

You can see a copy of the register and the list of monthly amendments at the District Council Offices in Hailsham, where you can check that your name is on the register. If it isn't, fill in and return an electoral registration form.

You can download and print a Voter Registration Form (pdf) where all members of a household can be entered on one form.

Why should I bother to register?

This country is a democracy. Every day, vital decisions affecting all our lives are taken by members of parliament and local councillors elected by the people. You can help choose them by voting. If you don't register, you won't be able to vote, and you will lose your chance to influence the way things are run in your town or village, in the Wealden district, in the county, and in the whole country.

Anonymous Registration

I am concerned about my name appearing on the register; can I register anonymously?
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduced the ability to register anonymously. Anyone who believes their safety would be at risk if their name appeared on the electoral register can apply to be registered anonymously, although evidence would have to be provided for this.

In order to register anonymously, you will need either:

  • evidence of a court order that is currently in force to protect you, or
  • attestation from a qualified person in support of your application.

People qualified to support applications:

  • Police officers of the rank of superintendent or above (from any police force across the UK)
  • Director General of the Security Services or the Serious Organised Crime Agency
  • a Director of Adult Social Services or Children's Services in England, a Director of Social Services in Wales, a Chief Social Work Officer in Scotland, a Director of Social Services or an Executive Director of Social Work in Northern Ireland

You can download an Application Form for Anonymous Registration (pdf) or contact the Electoral Services Office for one to be sent to you. Please read these notes, Anonymous Registration Guidance Notes (doc), before filling in the form.

If you are registered anonymously, instead of your name and address appearing on the electoral register a code will be added to the end of the section of the register for your polling district. Instead of including you on the annual canvass form, the Electoral Registration Officer will contact you separately and in such a way as to not reveal that you are registered anonymously. You will receive an enveloped poll card and you must take this with you to be able to vote.

Anyone who is registered anonymously may not sign a candidate's nomination papers.

Anonymous registrations must be renewed every year; we will send you a renewal form shortly before your renewal is due.

Where can I view the Electoral Register?

The Electoral Register can be viewed at the Council's offices in Hailsham.

We do not publish the Electoral Register on the Internet.

There are two versions of the Electoral Register; to read more about this, please see Why are there two versions of the Register? The edited register can be viewed for any purpose; the full register can only be viewed for electoral purposes, e.g. to check your own registration details to see if they are correct.

Why are there two versions of the register?

With effect from 1 December 2002, the electoral registration officer makes and keeps two versions of the electoral register - the full register and the edited register.

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote. The law says who can have a copy of the full register and what they can use it for. This includes electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime and checking your identity when you have applied for credit. The full list of such persons and purposes is given in the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2002. It is a criminal offence for them to pass it on to anyone else or to use it for any other purposes.

The edited register leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked for their names to be excluded from that version of the register. The edited register can be bought by anyone and they may use it for any purpose.

All of our registration forms give the option to opt out of the edited register. If you wish to opt out, simply tick the box when filling in the form.

 

I have changed my name, how do I amend my details on the register?

To change your name on the Electoral Register please download and print the Change of Details Form (pdf).

Please post the signed and completed form to Electoral Services, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham BN27 2AX.

How do I vote?

If your name is on the electoral register and your are aged 18 or over, you should get a poll card about 20 days before an election. The poll card will tell you where to vote and the times that the polling station will be open.

This List of Polling Stations (pdf) shows where the polling stations are in each of Wealden's District Wards.

The clerk at the polling station will confirm your name and address, check your name is on the register and then give you a ballot paper.

The ballot paper will say how many candidates you can vote for. Take the ballot paper to one of the polling booths and put a cross (X) in the box next to the name of the candidate(s) you want to support.

Do not write anything else on the ballot paper or your vote will not be counted. Once you have voted you must fold the ballot paper to hide your vote. Place your folded ballot paper in the locked ballot box. You don't have to tell anyone who you voted for.

If there is more than one election taking place at once (e.g. a parish and a district election), you may have more than one ballot paper to complete. If this is the case, these ballot papers will go in separate ballot boxes. Please pay close attention to what the presiding officer and poll clerks tell you.

Can anyone vote?

No. You have to be 18 or over. You must also be:

  • A British citizen; or
  • A citizen of another Commonwealth country; or
  • A citizen of a British Overseas Territory; or
  • A citizen of the Republic of Ireland; or
  • For certain elections (excluding UK Parliamentary Elections), a citizen of another European Union country.

See the link below for a full list of Commonwealth countries, British Overseas Territories and European Union member states.

Commonwealth, British Overseas Territories and European Union Member States (doc)

Your name must be included on the register of electors, otherwise you can not vote.

I have just had my 18th birthday, do I have to wait until the next electoral register is prepared before I can vote?

No. As soon as you are 18 you can vote provided that your name is entered on the electoral register.

I am a British Citizen living abroad, can I vote?

Yes- you can vote in British General and European Parliamentary Elections if you are registered as an overseas elector.

To be eligible you must:

  • be a British citizen
  • have moved abroad less than 15 years ago
  • have been on the electoral register in the Wealden area before you moved abroad (or if you were under 18 when you moved abroad, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must have been on the register) - if you were last registered elsewhere than Wealden, apply to the local council for that area

To apply, please download and print an Overseas Elector Application (pdf). Please read the form and notes  carefully before completing the form.

As an overseas elector you can apply to vote by post or proxy (a proxy is where you appoint someone in the UK to vote on your behalf) using the forms at the end of the registration form above. Please note that we strongly advise that you appoint a proxy rather than electing to vote by post - the statutory electoral timetables do not allow us to begin dispatching postal ballot papers until at most eleven working days before polling day, so depending on the postal service to your country of residence there may not be time for you to complete and return your ballot papers.

If you appoint a proxy, they will be able to vote at the polling station for your previous Wealden address, or they can apply to cast your vote by post if they are unable to get to this polling station on election day.We will automatically send any appointed proxy who lives outside the Wealden area a form to this effect.

Please post the completed form to Electoral Services, Wealden District Council, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 2AX.

Postal and Proxy Voting

Postal Voting

Anyone can apply for a postal vote for all elections, or for a particular election, without needing to give a reason.

You can download and print a Postal Vote Application Form (pdf) which should be completed in black pen, or contact Electoral Services by telephone 01892 602417 or by email elections@wealden.gov.uk for a form to be sent to you.

The last time for the receipt of applications for new postal votes for a particular election is 5pm 11 working days before polling day. This is also the deadline for making any changes to existing postal or proxy votes.

Proxy Voting

Alternatively, you can apply to appoint a proxy who would vote at your polling station on your behalf. If you choose to vote by proxy at a particular election you are required to give a reason, e.g. illness, disability, employment, attendance on a course etc. If you choose to vote by proxy for all elections you will also need to give a reason and get someone to support your application. The people who are qualified to support your application are listed in the notes on the second page of the form.

People appointed as proxies must:
a) themselves be eligible to vote at that/those election(s)
b) only be proxy for a maximum of two people (unless they are related to them).

You can download and print a Proxy Vote Application (pdf) or contact Electoral Services by telephone 01892 602417 or by email elections@wealden.gov.uk for a form to be sent to you.

The last time for the receipt of applications for new proxy votes for a particular election is 5pm 6 working days before polling day.

Emergency Proxy Voting

If you suffer a medical emergency, which renders you unable to get to your polling station, and the deadline for proxy applications at that particular election has already passed, you can apply to appoint an emergency proxy using the form below

Application to Vote by Emergency Proxy (pdf)

or you can contact Electoral Services by telephone 01892 602417 or by email elections@wealden.gov.uk for a form to be sent to you.

You will need a supporting signature from a medical practitioner, social worker or similar to confirm your circumstances. The list of people who can support your application is in the notes included with the form. The completed application form must reach us by 5pm on polling day.

Please note that this application can only be used in cases of medical emergencies which have occurred since the standard proxy voting deadline (six working days before the election) - for pre-existing medical conditions the postal and proxy voting procedures and deadlines above still apply.

Does it matter if I lose my poll card?

No - you can still vote without it. The poll card is for information only. It just makes it easier if you take it to the polling station and show it to the clerk there.

I have just found out that I will be away on polling day. Can I still vote?

Yes - but you need to apply for a postal vote or appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. You should do this as soon as possible because we cannot accept any postal vote applications which are received after 5pm on the eleventh working day before polling day or any proxy vote applications which are received after 5pm on the sixth working day before polling day.

Postal Voting

Anyone can apply for a postal vote for all elections, or for a particular election, without needing to give a reason.

You can download and print a Postal Vote Application Form (pdf) which should be completed in black pen, or contact Electoral Services by telephone on 01892 602417 or by email to elections@wealden.gov.uk for a form to be sent to you.

Proxy Voting

Alternatively, you can apply to appoint a proxy who would vote at your polling station on your behalf. If you choose to vote by proxy at a particular election you are required to give a reason, e.g. illness, disability, employment, attendance on a course etc. If you choose to vote by proxy for all elections you will also need to give a reason and get someone to support your application. The people who are qualified to support your application are listed in the notes on the second page of the form.

You can download and print a Proxy Vote Application Form (pdf)or contact Electoral Services by telephone on 01892 602417 or by email to elections@wealden.gov.uk for a form to be sent to you.

I thought voting was secret. Why does the clerk write my poll number on a list?

It is a legal requirement that poll numbers are written on a numbered list. The procedure exists to detect and prove any possible abuses or fraud. At the end of the poll, the lists are sealed in a secure packet. The packet containing the numbered list is not opened at the count.

At the end of the count the counted ballot papers are also sealed in a secure packet.

After the election the sealed packets are held securely within the Council Offices. The sealed packets can only be opened by an Order from the High Court or County Court provided that the Court is satisfied that an Order is needed to help prosecute for an election offence.

The procedure is there to protect the integrity of the democratic process and not to undermine it. Your vote is, therefore, secret.

Who are the people who ask for my poll number outside the polling station?

These people are called tellers and are used by each of the main political parties to help with their election campaigns. They have no standing in electoral law and are not connected with the official election process.

You don't have to give them your poll number if you don't want to.

Are there any special arrangements for voters with disabilities?

Yes - each polling station will have one booth that is wider and has a lower writing shelf designed for voters using a wheelchair. If a polling station has alternative access for wheelchair users this will be signposted.

For voters with sight difficulties there is a large copy of the ballot paper available to read, although the ballot paper that is issued will be the same for everyone. A device with both raised and Braille numbers which can be attached to the ballot paper is also available at each polling station.

If you would like to know whether disabled car parking and toilet facilities are available at your polling station, and what, if any, accessibility issues you might encounter, you can check our Polling Station Accessibility Report (pdf)

Our polling stations are kept under review at all times.  We welcome any comments from electors if they feel there are issues with a particular polling station.

The Presiding Officer or a voter's companion can assist a voter with disabilities. Anyone who helps a voter in this way will be required to complete a declaration at the polling station.

Alternatively, you can apply for a postal vote or appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf.

What happens if I make a mistake on my ballot paper?

If you make a mistake on your ballot paper show it to the clerk at the polling station and ask for another one - do not put the spoilt paper in the ballot box. The clerk will issue you with a new paper and put your spoilt paper in a sealed envelope.

What happens after the voting has finished?

Immediately after voting has finished, the ballot box is sealed by the staff to ensure that nothing can be added to or taken from the box.

The box is taken to the count location where the contents are counted with the ballot papers from other polling stations.

The candidate who receives most votes is declared the winner and is elected to the position contested. Where more than one position is being contested, there will be more than one winner - e.g. in a two-member district ward the candidates with the most and second-most votes will be elected.