Support for the people of Medway
The UK Government have introduced legislation that requires all voters to show accepted photo ID before they’re allowed to vote. This will be in place for the local and parish elections taking place in Medway on Thursday 4 May 2023.
If you fail to provide the above, you will not be issued a ballot paper and will not be allowed to vote.
You can view the list of accepted photo ID. Here
If you do not have an accepted form of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.
Voter Authority Certificates
A Voter Authority Certificate will show:
· your name
· your photograph
· the date of issue
· some security features.
It will be acceptable for all elections. You do not need one for each election and you do not need to re-apply if you move address.
You only need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate if you do not have one of the forms of accepted photo ID.
You can apply after Monday 16 January 2023.
The deadline to apply for the 4 May elections is Tuesday 25 April 2023.
You do not need a Voter Authority Certificate if you vote by post.
If you have appointed a proxy to vote on your behalf, they will need to show their accepted photo ID or certificate at the polling station before they vote on your behalf.
You can find out more about the new requirements on the Electoral Commission website.
Find out if you’re already registered to vote
If you pay Council Tax or have a library card, this does not mean you’re automatically registered to vote.
Find out if you are already registered to vote
Registering to vote means you have a right to vote in local, national and European elections, and referendums.
Who can register to vote
You can register to vote if you are:
- 16 or older (although you cannot vote until you are 18 years old)
- a British citizen
- an Irish, eligible Commonwealth, or European Union citizen living in the UK.
To vote at a UK Parliamentary general election, you must be a British, Irish or an eligible Commonwealth citizen.
A revised register is published on 1 December each year and is updated every month between January and September.
If you are not already registered, or have moved to an address in Medway since the Register was published, you must re-register at your new address.
Change of name
If you have changed your name since registering to vote, please contact Medway Council on electoralservices@medway.gov.uk to update your details on the register.
What address you should ise to register?
When registering to vote you must give your home address.
You can still register to vote if you do not have an address, for example if you're homeless.
Find out about voting without a fixed address on GOV.UK
Armed Forces registration
People working in the Armed Forces and their spouses or civil partners have the choice of registering as a service voter or as an ordinary voter.
Register to vote as a member of the Armed Forces on GOV.UK
If you are likely to be posted away from home for a long period of time, you should consider voting by post or getting someone else to vote on your behalf.
Anonymous registration
You may be able to register anonymously if you are concerned about your name and address appearing on the electoral register because you think that it could affect your safety, or the safety of someone in the same household as you.
For more information on how to vote anonymously and to download an application form, please visit yourvotematters.co.uk.
If you have any further questions about registering to vote anonymously, please contact Electoral Services on 01634 332030.
Vote at a polling station
If you have not already registered, you will need to before you can vote at a polling station on election day.
Around 4 weeks before election day you will receive a polling card. The card will tell you where your polling station is and will have a map to help you find it.
You will need to show accepted photo ID to receive a ballot paper and vote. This includes the local and parish elections in Medway on 4 May 2023.
What you need to do:
On election day, the polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm.
You must take your accepted photo ID with you.
You do not need to take your poll card with you.
Polling station accessibility
Polling stations should all be accessible. To help you vote, The Council may provide:
- a ramp to help with access to the station
- large print copies of ballot papers
- a device to help those with sight problems vote unaided.
The presiding officer can help place a vote on the voter's behalf or the voter can bring a companion to help them. Companions who help someone to vote will be asked to sign a declaration so there is a formal record.
Getting someone to vote for you (proxy
You can apply for someone to vote on your behalf. This person is called a proxy.
- are blind or otherwise physically incapacitated
- or your spouse would be prevented from voting in person due to work or if you are studying at college or university
- are abroad on holiday
The person you appoint must be:
- someone you trust to vote the way you want to
- registered to vote in the election
- aged 18 or over
A person cannot vote on the behalf of more than two people at any one time, unless they are a close relative.
Apply for someone to vote on your behalf
The national deadline to apply is 5pm, 6 working days before an election.
For the local and parish elections on 4 May 2023, the deadline for your proxy application is 5pm on 25 April 2023.
To apply for a proxy vote:
- complete the Proxy Vote Application Form
- upload it to apply for someone to vote on your behalf, or post to Electoral Services, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR.
Carefully read the notes that accompany the application form to find out if you need to get someone to support your application and who can do it.
If you're already registered to vote by post and want to change to someone voting on your behalf, you will need to cancel your postal vote first.
For the local and parish elections on 4 May, you must cancel your postal vote by 5pm on Tuesday 18 April 2023.
If you change address you will need to make a new application to appoint a proxy. Your voting preference will not be carried forward to your new address
Voting by post
If the person voting on your behalf can't attend your polling station in person on election day, they can apply to vote by post. You first need to appoint them as your proxy.
This application must be received no later than 5pm, 11 working days before an election.
How your informaiton is used:
The law requires that we provide the details of those who have appointed a proxy or chosen to vote by post to registered political parties, elected representatives and candidates in elections. There is no provision for you to withdraw your consent for this without cancelling your proxy or postal vote arrangement.
Cancel someone voting on your behalf
If someone is voting on your behalf and you want to cancel this in time for an election, you will need to do so no later than 11 working days before the election.
Cancel someone voting on your behalf
All cancellations are acknowledged and confirmed to both you and the person who was going to vote on your behalf.
Register while overseas
British citizens living outside the UK are entitled to vote in UK Parliamentary and European Parliament elections once they have registered.
You can register to vote from overseas :
- if you are a British citizen and have been on a UK electoral register at any time within the past 15 years
- from your parents’ or guardians’ address if you left the UK before you were 18 years of age or if you left the country no more than 15 years ago
You cannot register if you have never been registered to vote in the UK.
Register
If you are a British citizen living overseas (but are not serving in the armed forces) you can register to vote online.
You can register to vote from overseas at any time - do not wait until an election is announced.
You will need to provide:
- your full name and overseas address
- the UK address where you last registered
- the date you left the UK
- your National Insurance number
Your registration will last for 12 months and must be renewed every year but can be cancelled by you at any time.
Vote
Those registered to vote from overseas are eligible to vote in elections to the UK and European Parliaments but not UK local government elections. As any UK referendum requires special legislation to be passed, this legislation would also determine who can vote in such a referendum.
Post
If you decide to vote by post, your ballot paper will be sent to you about a week before the election. Therefore, you may want to think about whether there is sufficient time for you to return your ballot paper to us before the close of poll. You may want to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf instead.
Proxy
You can appoint someone in the UK to vote for you. This is called a proxy vote and you need to apply to vote by proxy.
In person
If you are in the UK on election day you can vote in person at the polling station where you are registered to vote. It is not possible to vote at your local embassy or consulate.
Registering if you have no fixed address
When registering to vote a person must give their home address.
If you do not have a permanent home then you can register at an address where you spend a substantial part of your time, whether during the day or night. This could be a shelter or any place where you sleep or spend a large part of your day.
For more information on how to vote without a fixed address and to download an application form, please visit yourvotematters.co.uk.
Request a declaration of local connection form
Vote by post
If you do not want to visit a polling station on election day you can apply to vote by post.
How to vote by post?
Once you are registered as a postal voter, you will be sent a Postal Voting Statement and ballot paper to your address before an election.
You will need to read the instructions that come with the pack carefully. As well as marking your vote on the ballot paper, you must fill out the Postal Vote Statement including your signature and date of birth. This is so we can check these details against your application to make sure no one else has used your vote. If your signature does not match the one you gave on your postal vote application, or your date of birth is different, your vote will not be counted.
Your completed postal vote pack must arrive no later than 10pm on election day. You can also hand in your completed pack at your local polling station on election day.
If you're unable to give your signature
In the following situations the council can decide that a signature is not needed and approve a 'waiver':
- if you can't provide a signature because a disability makes it impossible
- if you can't read or write
- if you're unable to sign in a consistent and distinctive way because of a disability or inability.
Please note your waiver form will need to be attested by someone to confirm you cannot provide a signature.
Cancel your postal vote
You can cancel your postal vote if, for example, you decide you'd prefer to vote in person or you need someone to vote on your behalf.
You must cancel your postal vote 11 working days before polling day.
For the local and parish elections on 4 May 2023, the deadline to cancel your postal vote is Tuesday 18 April 2023.
Apply for a postal vote
You must be registered to vote before you can apply for a postal vote.
To apply for a postal vote:
- complete the postal vote application form
- upload it to apply to vote by post or post to Electoral Services, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR.
You can apply for a postal vote for just one election, for a certain length of time or permanently.
The deadline to apply to vote by post is 5pm, 11 working days before an election.
Your postal ballot paper can be sent to your home address. You should receive it about 5 days before election day. If you move house or change your name you will need to complete a new postal application.
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