How voting works

1. Can I vote?

• UK Parliament elections: British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or over on polling day, registered at a UK address.
• Local council elections in England: also EU citizens with existing rights to vote, and some others; in Scotland and Wales, all residents with permission to stay, from age 16.
• You must be registered to vote. It takes about five minutes online. Students can register at both home and term-time addresses (but vote only once in the same election).

• 3ways to vote: in person, by post, or by proxy (someone you trust votes as you tell them).
• 5 minto register online at gov.uk, and you must do it before the deadline on your ballot page.
• Freephoto ID if you have none: apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

2. What am I voting for?

An MP represents your constituency in the House of Commons: they vote on national laws, taxes and budgets, and take up constituents' problems with government bodies. A councillor sits on your local council: it sets council tax, decides planning, runs social care, bins, parking, libraries and (in most areas) school admissions. A councillor cannot change income tax or NHS policy. Both are elected for a fixed area; you vote for a named person, and their party tells you what programme they stand with.

Most UK elections use first past the post: you mark one cross, and the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. Some elections (Scottish and Welsh parliaments, Northern Ireland, Scottish councils) use proportional systems; the ballot page tells you which applies.

3. Three ways to vote

• In person at your polling station, 7am to 10pm on polling day. It is printed on your poll card, or find it by postcode (Democracy Club). You need accepted photo ID; a passport, driving licence or older person's bus pass all count. No ID? Apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
• By post: apply for a postal vote online. Your ballot is posted to you; return it before polling day or hand it in at a polling station.
• By proxy: someone you trust votes on your behalf, in the way you tell them. Useful if you are away, ill, or find polling stations hard to reach. Apply for a proxy vote online. This is the option people know least about; it is entirely normal and secure.

4. Support if you are disabled or need help

• Every polling station must provide reasonable equipment: a tactile voting device, large-print ballot papers, a magnifier, seating, and a low-level booth. Ask staff; you do not need to explain why.
• You may bring a companion of your choice into the polling station, or ask the Presiding Officer to help you mark your ballot.
• If getting there is the problem, a postal or proxy vote removes the journey.
• The Electoral Commission's guidance: voting in person and additional support.

5. Deadlines for the elections we cover

• Staffordshire Moorlands District: Cheddleton ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Suffolk County: Bosmere ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• North East Lincolnshire: Croft Baker ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Wigan Metropolitan Borough: Hindley Green ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Oldham Metropolitan Borough: Failsworth West ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Hyndburn Borough: Huncoat ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Rotherham Metropolitan Borough: Anston & Woodsetts ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Fareham Borough: Portchester Wicor ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• North Hertfordshire District: Letchworth Norton ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Durham County: Craghead & South Moor ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Conwy County Borough: Bryn ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Hertfordshire County: Letchworth North ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• South Staffordshire: Huntington & Hatherton ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Havant Borough: Emsworth ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Caerphilly County Borough: Risca East ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Solihull Metropolitan Borough: Castle Bromwich ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Reading Borough: Caversham Heights ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Bromsgrove District: Marlbrook ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Manchester City: Harpurhey ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Flintshire County: Mold: Broncoed ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Birmingham City: Shard End ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Gosport Borough: Hardway ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Oldham Metropolitan Borough: Royton North ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Pembrokeshire County: Pembroke Dock: Central ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Bolton Metropolitan Borough: Westhoughton South ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• East Ayrshire: Cumnock and New Cumnock ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Dumfries and Galloway: Annandale East and Eskdale ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Mid Sussex District: Haywards Heath Bentswood & Heath ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Redcar and Cleveland Borough: Hutton ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Dacorum Borough: Tring Central ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Leeds City: Cross Gates & Whinmoor ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• Southend-on-Sea Borough: Leigh ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.
• East Surrey: Dorking Rural ward: the key dates are at the top of that page.

6. On the day

Take your ID. Tell the staff your name and address. Take the ballot paper to a booth, put one cross in one box, fold it, and put it in the box. It takes a minute. If you make a mistake, ask for a fresh paper.