Democracy Hub: Every Voice Matters

You need to register to be able to vote. You can do this:

• online - you need just five minutes and your National Insurance number.
• using a paper form, which you can download via the gov.uk website 

You don’t need to register to vote before every election, but you need to update your details if you move house or change your name or nationality. 

In these cases, you can either:

• contact the electoral services team
• register to vote again 
   

Voters in England, and thus London, need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in all elections.

This includes:

• Mayor of London and London Assembly elections
• UK parliamentary/ general elections, including by-elections and recall petitions
• Local council/ borough elections and by-elections 

Accepted forms of photo ID to vote  

You can use any accepted forms of photo ID when voting at a polling station.

You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version, and not a photocopy or a digital version, like a picture on your phone. 

If you do not have any accepted form of photo Voter ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

You can vote:

• In person – you will be sent a poll card to your address, which will tell you where your local polling station is.
• By post – if you are not able to vote in person, for example, because you will be away on polling day, you can apply for a postal vote.
• By proxy – if you cannot vote in person, for example, for health reasons, you can nominate someone to vote on your behalf. In this case, you need to apply to vote by proxy.