Register to vote

The Electoral Register is a list of people in the Bristol area who are eligible to vote in an election. So that you can vote in an election your name must be on the register.  By law everyone must register to vote, however voting is not compulsory.

Following the annual canvass, in December 2011 there were 322,659 people on the electoral register and 93% of households registered.  The eligible electorate for the 2012 Mayoral Referendum was 318,893.

Am I registered to vote?

If you filled in the annual canvass form that came through your door between August and November last year you should still be registered. You will need to register again if you have moved home since then. Contact us to check if you are on the register.

Please note that paying Council Tax does not mean you are on the electoral register.  There are different requirements to be registered to vote.

If you live in a local authority area outside Bristol, and wish to contact your local Electoral Services, please see www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

Who can register?

Any person who is 18 years and over and is a British, Commonwealth, Irish Republic or European Union member state citizen living in the Bristol area, who is not currently on the register.  Please see our list of countries that are eligible to register (pdf, 49 KB).

When can I register?

A citywide update of the register is carried out annually between end of August and mid November and this new register comes into force during December.  Before and after this, the register is updated on a rolling monthly basis.  Please see the 2012 rolling register timetable (pdf, 11 KB).

How do I register?

Edited and full register

There are two versions of the Electoral Register, a full copy and an edited copy.

The full copy lists the name and address of everyone who is registered to vote. The Council holds a copy. Anyone can look at it, but it is a criminal offence to supply and use copies for purposes other than set down in law. The main use of the full register is to show who can vote in elections and referendums. Credit reference agencies can use it, but only if you are applying for credit and for other purposes specified in law. It can also be used for law enforcement.

The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. If you do not want your details to be sold, tick the last column (on the Register to Vote form). This is called opting out. If you want your details to be available for sale then ensure the last column is blank (ie no tick).

If you are not already on the register of electors, or are moving home, please complete the register to vote form (pdf, 24 KB). You must send it to us either by:

• post to Electoral Services, FREEPOST (NAT 11762), Bristol, BS1 5BR (no stamp is required) , or
• fax to 0117 922 3461
• you cannot complete the form online as we require a signature on the form

Once registered, you will be sent a poll card before each election in which you are able to vote, giving information about how to do so. 

Students

If you're a student living away from home, you can register and take part in local elections from both your home and term time addresses. Students are entitled to register at both their home address and their university (term time) address if it is in a different electoral area.

It is an offence to vote more than once in a national election. You can vote at local elections for both addresses if the local elections are for different councils.

If your home address is outside Bristol, please see www.aboutmyvote.co.uk to find out how to contact the Electoral Services for your local authority.

European Union citizens

If you are resident in Bristol

A European Union citizen can only vote at a local Bristol City Council election and a European election but not in General Parliamentary elections.

Commonwealth or Irish citizens haves the same voting rights as a British citizen and can vote at all elections.  See - Countries eligible to register (pdf, 49 KB).

European Union law provides for EU citizens to vote in local and European Parliamentary elections for the member state they are resident in.  However, each member state is free to determine its own franchise rules for national Parliamentary elections and referendums.  In the UK the British Parliamentary franchise has not been extended to other EU citizens.

Overseas voters

British citizens living abroad can vote at a UK Parliamentary general election, and in the referendum but not in local Bristol City Council elections.

More about overseas voters:

• www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.
• Electoral Commission's Overseas Electors fact sheet - www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Service voters

Service personnel and their spouses or civil partners posted abroad can register to vote through making a service declaration.  Please see our service voter application form (pdf, 255 KB).

You can register at the address in the UK where you would be living if not posted overseas or at an address where you have lived in the past.
 
If this area is within Bristol City Council, your register to vote application form should be posted to the following freepost address. No stamp is required if posted in the UK.

• Electoral Services, FREEPOST (NAT 11762), Bristol, BS1 5BR

Service voters and their spouses or civil partners can vote in person or can opt to vote by post or proxy.

Crown Servant or as an employee of the British Council

If you are working outside the UK as a Crown Servant or as an employee of the British Council, you can register to vote. You can also register if you are married to, or are the civil partner of, a Crown Servant or British Council employee and you are accompanying them during their employment abroad.

You will need to complete a Crown Servant registration form, which is available to download from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

Crown Servant voters and their spouses or civil partners can vote in person or can opt to vote by post or proxy.  

If you are living abroad it is advisable that you appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf as there is unlikely to be enough time for postal votes to reach you and be sent back before close of poll.

Young voters

You can go on the electoral register from the age of 16, but you will not be able to vote until you are 18.   We recommend that you go on the register of electors from the age of 16, so that you can vote in future elections once you are 18.   See our young voters' guide for more information.

Homeless

If you are homeless, you still have a right to vote.  However as registration is linked to your address, you will need to complete a Declaration of Local Connection form (pdf, 9 KB).

Prisoners on remand

Prisoners on remand and not currently serving a prison sentence, are entitled to register to vote using our register to vote form (pdf, 24 KB).

Anonymous electors

If you are concerned about your personal safety and would be at risk if your details were included in the electoral register, you can apply to be registered as an anonymous elector. Please use our application for anonymous registration form (pdf, 11 KB).

Your form will need to be signed by a police officer of the rank of superintendent or above or the Director General of the Security Services or the Serious Organised Crime Agency.