Following the decision to hold a general election on 12^th December, it is really important to make sure you are registered to vote at your current address. The deadline to register to vote in this election is 26^th November 2019.

Whatever your politics, however you feel about politics and politicians, everyone should take the opportunity to vote. Even if you think “my vote won’t make a difference” you should vote – some MPs have been elected on very small majorities in the past.

Check if you are already registered

The Electoral Services department at your local council can check if you are already registered, and answer any questions.

If your local council is Bracknell Forest:

www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/register-vote

Phone: 01344 352000

Email: voting@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

If your local council is Windsor & Maidenhead:

www3.rbwm.gov.uk/info/200131/elections_and_voting

Electoral Services Helpline on 01628 683868

Email: electoral.registration@rbwm.gov.uk

How to register

If you are not already registered to vote, or if you have moved house since you previously registered then see www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to register online.  If you prefer to register on a paper form, you can either download the form here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-if-youre-living-in-the-uk

or you can request a form from your local council.

Did you know that you can register to vote if you are homeless? 

Did you know that you can register anonymously if having your name on the electoral role could affect your safety, or the safety or someone in your household? 

If you are a student living away from home in term-time, you can register at both your home address and your term-time address.  However, you must choose one location to vote at on 12^th December.  (It is a criminal offence to vote twice in a national election.)

Can’t get to the polling station on 12th December?

If you will be away from home on Election Day, 12^th December, you can apply to vote by post, but you will need to do this before 5pm on 26^th November if you live in England.  Your voting form will be posted to you several days before 12^th December, so you will need to make sure you will be at home to receive it, complete it, and post it back.

If you can’t do a postal vote, because you will be away in the days leading up to the election, you can choose instead to arrange a proxy vote.  Proxy voting means that if you aren’t able to cast your vote in person, you can have someone you trust cast your vote for you. They must go to your polling station to cast your vote.  If you live in England, the deadline to apply for a proxy vote in the general election on 12^th December 2019 is 5pm on 4^th December.

If you have an unexpected emergency, such as going into hospital, or going away on business, which means that you can’t get to the polling station on 12^th December, don’t worry – you may still be able to vote.  As long as you were already registered to vote, you can make an emergency application for a proxy vote, up to 5pm on polling day, providing you didn’t know about the emergency until after the normal deadline to register for a proxy vote.

Going to the polling station to vote

If you plan to vote in person, make sure you know where your polling station is.  Use this postcode search.  Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm on polling day, but they can get very busy, particularly towards the end of the day.

• If you need help getting to your polling station, you can contact your local council.
• Once you get to the polling station, if you’re not sure what to do, or need any help, just ask the staff at the polling station – they will be happy to help.
• If you have a disability which means you can’t fill in the ballot paper yourself, you can ask the Presiding Officer to mark the ballot paper for you.  If you have a visual impairment, you can ask for a large print ballot paper, or a special voting device that allows you to vote on your own in secret.

For more information on what to expect at the polling station, see here:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/how-cast-your-vote/voting-person

For more information about registering and voting, see:

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter