Register to Vote

Who should register?

The electoral register is a list of people who are registered to vote. If you meet the requirements below please register.

16 or over (you cannot vote until your 18th birthday) British or Commonwealth citizen/citizen of the Irish Republic/citizen of another EU state Citizens of EU member states cannot vote in UK Parliamentary elections and must fill in a separate form to vote in the European elections.

For details on registering as a service voter or overseas elector, please see the Electoral Commission.

How you can vote

You can vote in person, by post or ask someone to vote on your behalf (proxy vote). If you would like to cancel an existing postal or proxy voting arrangement, please use the form in the downloads section.

In person at the polling station

If you are registered to vote, a poll card will be sent to you a few days before the election. Your card tells you where your polling station is and when it will be open. You do not need your poll card to vote although it will help the staff at the polling station if you bring it with you.

You will be allocated to a polling station. If you would like to find out where your usual polling station is, please contact the Electoral Services team on 0300 456 0112.

Please visit GOV.UK for more information about how to vote in person.

Emergency Proxy Voting

You may be able to apply for an emergency proxy vote for employment or medical reasons. To qualify, you will have only been made aware of the circumstances after 5pm six working days before the polling day. You can apply from this time and up to 5pm on polling day itself.

To apply, you must be registered and your appointed proxy must meet the following criteria:

Registered to vote

Eligable to vote in this particular type of poll Cannot act on behalf of more than two people at any one election, unless they are a close relative To apply for an emergency proxy please contact the Electoral Services Team on 0300 456 0112 or download the emergency proxy application in the sidebar. If you are applying for a postal or proxy vote during an election timetable which is already running, specific deadline dates will apply.

For the 2017 unitary and parish, emergency proxy application forms will only be available after 5pm on Tuesday 25 April (close of ordinary proxy applications deadline) until 5pm on polling day itself, Thursday 4 May.

What is the electoral register?

The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service and checking credit applications.

It is a criminal offence for anyone to supply or use the register for anything else.

The current full electoral register is available for inspection under supervision at our four main council offices:

Trowbridge – County Hall, Trowbridge, BA14 8JN Devizes – Crossmolina Buildings, Snuff Street, Devizes, SN10 1FG Salisbury – The Council Offices, Bourne Hill, Salisbury, SP1 3UZ Chippenham – The Council Offices, Monkton Park, SN15 1ER

What is the open register and why are there two registers?

The open register is an extract of the electoral register but it is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details.

You can find more information about both registers and how they may be used on the GOV.UK website.

Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. You can remove your details at any time by contacting us. Please provide your name and address and state that you wish to be removed from the open register.

Email us: openregister@wiltshire.gov.uk

Call us on: 0300 456 0112

Write to us: Electoral Registration Officer Electoral Services County Hall Bythesea Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 8JN

If you would like to buy the open register or any part of it, please contact the Electoral Registration office on 0300 456 0112

What is rolling registration and when will my details appear on the electoral register?

Annual canvass – Household Enquiry Form Once a year we send a Household Enquiry Form (HEF) to every property in Wiltshire. This form is used to collect information to ensure anyone who is eligible to register at the property is actually registered.

Although you may have already voted in elections or in a referendum, it is a legal requirement to provide the information requested to ensure it is still current and accurate.

It is important that you respond to this form to avoid reminders being sent

Fair processing statement

We will keep and use your personal information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

This authority is under a duty to protect the public funds that it administers and may use the information you have provided for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies administering or in receipt of public funds, such as HM Revenues and Customs.

The council participates in data matching exercises through the National Fraud Initiative. These exercises match the data held by the council with that of other agencies, including other local authorities and government departments to:

prevent or detect benefit fraud or any other crime support national fraud initiatives protect public fund

Read more about the National Fraud Initiative