Proxy and postal votes

Postal/Proxy registration deadline

For the elections taking place in May 2021, the deadline to register for a postal vote is 5pm on 20th April 2021. The deadline to register for a proxy vote is 5pm on 27th April 2021

Postal Votes

You can apply to vote by post for a particular election, for a set period of time or for all future elections. But you must be registered to vote first. Postal votes can be sent out to addresses in the UK and abroad.

How to apply to vote by post:

Download the postal vote application form or phone the number below for a form to be sent to you;
Fill in the form and sign it;
Return it to the Elections, ESBC, PO Box 8045, Burton upon Trent, DE14 9JG.
During election periods the form must be returned 11 working days before the election;

Allow enough time when applying so you can receive your ballot paper and return it by election day.

Proxy Votes

You can also apply to vote by proxy if you are unable to go to the polling station on election day.

A proxy is someone who will go to the polling station and vote with your authority on your behalf. A proxy can only be used if special reasons apply as set out below:

Long-term illness or disability (for example, difficulty in walking) Registered blind or partially slighted
Receive a disability living allowance (higher rate)
If the address at which you are registered as an elector is a residential care home or sheltered housing
Your job, or that of your spouse, may take you away from home for long periods at a time (e.g. travelling salesman, long distance lorry driver)
You or your spouse may be students attending a course away from home

If you do choose a proxy to vote for you, remember that he or she will have to go to your usual polling station to vote on your behalf.

Download the Proxy Vote application form

Application to vote by emergency proxy based on disability

Application to vote by emergency proxy based on occupation, service or employment