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How can I vote?
You must be aged 18 or over (or 16 or over in Scotland and Wales) and be registered to vote.
If you have not yet registered, it is too late to do so in time for the elections on Thursday.
There are three ways to vote:
In person at your local polling station
You'll be sent a poll card just before an election or referendum telling you when to vote and at which polling station. It will usually be in a public building, such as a school or local hall, near your home.
You can only vote at the polling station allocated to your address. This will be shown on your poll card. You can also enter your postcode on this website to find out where your polling station is.
You will be able to cast your vote any time between 7am and 10pm
You must bring a form of photo ID with you in order to vote. There are 22 accepted types of ID.
At the polling station, you will need to give your name and address to staff and show them your photo ID.
There will be instructions in the polling booth telling you exactly how to cast your vote.
Postal vote
You can register to vote by post for any reason, including that you simply don't want to go to a polling station on the day.
But the deadline for the postal vote in these elections was 14 April. If you want to apply for future votes, you can do so by clicking here.
By proxy
This is where you apply for someone to vote on your behalf if you cannot go to the polling station in person and do not want to or can't vote by post.
But the deadline for the postal vote in these elections was 23 April. If you want to apply for future votes, you can do so by clicking here.
Which elections have been postponed - and why?
Elections for county councils in the following areas have been postponed until May 2026:
• Norfolk
• Suffolk
• Essex
• Thurrock
• Surrey
• East and West Sussex
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
Most areas of the UK are now covered by one-tier systems such as unitary authorities, but there are still 21 county councils.
Remaining county councils are being encouraged to merge with other local authorities to become unitary authorities.
So in December last year, county councils could request to postpone their elections set for Thursday if they were trying to reorganise into one-tier systems.
While 16 county councils requested to postpone, only the eight listed above were successful.