Voting at the polling station, by post and by proxy

About voting by proxy

If you are unable to get to your polling station on polling day, you can appoint someone to go to your polling station and fill in your ballot paper for you. This is called voting by proxy.

You can choose anyone to be your proxy, provided they are registered to vote in the UK and someone you trust. However, there are limits to how many people someone can be appointed as a proxy for.

Your proxy cannot vote at any polling station. They must be able to visit your polling station which is allocated by your address.

You can apply to vote by proxy temporarily for one election, or in some circumstances, you can apply to vote by proxy long-term.

How to apply

You must complete an application to be granted a proxy vote. This application is separate to registering to vote.

To complete your application, you will need to provide your National Insurance number, a copy of your handwritten signature, and the name and address of the person you would like to appoint as proxy. 

Apply online for a proxy vote (GOV.UK)

Some applications for a proxy vote require a countersignature to support your application. If you would like to apply for one of the following reasons, click the links below to download the relevant application form. 

• Vote by proxy long-term due to a disability (GOV.UK)
• Vote by proxy long-term due to employment (GOV.UK) that makes it consistently difficult to attend the polling station 
• Vote by proxy long-term due to your attendance on an educational course (GOV.UK) that makes it consistently difficult to attend the polling station 

Alternatively, complete the Electoral Services contact form to receive the relevant hard copy form by post.

You must apply before 5pm, six working days before polling day, but you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

If you’re not sure when the deadline is for a particular election, you can find this on your poll card or contact Electoral Services by completing the Electoral Services contact form

How to vote by proxy

All you need to do is tell your proxy how you would like to vote.

Your proxy will receive a poll card with instructions on where to go to cast your vote.

The process is the same as when you vote at the polling station except they will need to make the polling station staff aware they are acting as a proxy and take their own photo ID.

When they arrive at the polling station, they will need to give the name and address of the person on whose behalf they are voting as well as their own. The polling station staff will check this on the list of proxy voters.

Frequently asked questions about voting by proxy

How do I know if I have a proxy vote?

You can contact Electoral Services at any time to check.

At election time, your poll card will confirm if you have appointed a proxy. Your proxy will also get a poll card with information about where they will need to go to vote.

The only person who can be my proxy lives too far away - what should I do?

If your proxy can’t get to your allocated polling station, you could apply to vote by post instead, provided it is before 5pm, 11 working days before polling day.

If this is not a suitable alternative for you, your proxy can apply for a postal vote on your behalf. Contact Electoral Services directly for more information about this option.

A member of my family does not have capacity to vote - can they have a proxy vote?

No. The person appointing the proxy must be able to communicate how they would like to vote. The proxy must not make any assumptions nor try to influence the way they vote. This is electoral fraud and can be a criminal offence.

How do I cancel my proxy vote?

To cancel your proxy vote, you must put it in writing. Your letter should state your name, your full address and your signature. This is to make sure no one is trying to cancel your proxy vote against your wishes.

You can do this at any time, but if you want to cancel your proxy vote for a particular election, you must write to us by 5pm, six working days before polling day.

You can submit your letter electronically using the Electoral Services contact form

How do I switch from a proxy vote to a postal vote?

To cancel your proxy vote and switch to postal voting, you need to complete an application to vote by post – you don’t need to cancel your proxy vote separately first. You can find out more about this on our page about voting by post.

However, this means you must apply to vote by post before 5pm, 11 working days before polling day, which is the deadline to apply for postal voting.

My plans have changed and I can get to the polling station now - should I cancel my proxy vote?

It depends. If it is before 5pm, six working days before polling day, you can cancel the proxy vote if you want.

However, you don’t have to cancel a proxy vote to be able to vote in the polling station yourself.

Provided your proxy hasn’t already attended the polling station, you can go to vote yourself, but you should mention that you are there instead of your proxy so polling station staff can check the list of proxies.

Last updated: 06/02/2025 16:24