Last Updated: May 27, 2025

With the general election coming up, you may have questions about your right to vote or the help available to allow you to do so. In this guide, we go over who can vote, the process of registering, how to vote if you live in a care home, and the reasonable adjustments available to help you have your say.

Who can vote?

To be eligible to vote in the upcoming general election you must be:

  • Over 18;
  • Be registered to vote;
  • Be British, Irish or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen;
  • Be a resident at an address in the UK or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter; and
  • Not be legally excluded from voting.

To be legally excluded from voting you must be a member of the house of lords, serving a prison sentence, or have committed electoral crimes. If none of these apply to you, then you have the right to cast your vote on July 4th.

Voting in person

If you are able, you can visit your local polling station to cast your vote. The people working at the polling station should be able to offer you help and support throughout the process if needed. If you require a carer to help you, this is also allowed. Although you may need to fill out and sign a form before voting. It is also worth noting that you can only vote in person on election day. This means if you aren’t able to go on the day, you will miss your chance.

Postal Vote

Anyone can apply to vote via postal vote, you can apply by post or online. If you are using a physical form to register for postal vote, you must send the form to your local electoral registration office. The address for your local electoral registration office is on the bottom of the form. You can access the application form here.

Voting by proxy

Unlike with a postal vote, not everyone is eligible for voting by proxy. To be eligible for voting by proxy you must be:

  • away on polling day;
  • registered as an overseas voter;
  • have a medical issue or disability; or
  • not able to vote in person because of work or military service.

Choose someone you trust to vote on your behalf, tell them who you want to vote for, and send them off to the polls. Anyone registered to vote can be your proxy, unless they are already a proxy to 4 people. You can apply via post or online. To access the form, click here.

For detailed instructions on the process of registering to vote and applying for a postal vote or voting by proxy, please see the ‘register to vote’ section below.

Voting from a care home

If you live in a care home you still have the right to vote. You must be registered to vote, either in person, by post, or by proxy. Your care home should be able to help you with the process, from registering, to attending the polling station on election day, or setting up a postal vote.

Can people with dementia or a learning disability vote?

Those with dementia, a mobility or learning disability, people with autism, and anyone else that may require the services of a carer or live in a care home have the right to vote in the UK in local and countrywide elections. As long as you match the criteria mentioned above then you can vote. Your medical diagnoses have no effect on your right to vote.

If you want to vote, you should be supported to do so. Voting is a fundamental right, but not everyone will want to exercise that right. It is not compulsory and the person’s choice of whether to vote should be respected.  

Voting accessibility & Reasonable adjustments – help available to allow people to vote

Throughout the process there are adjustments in place to help people vote. Easy-read guides are available that provide simple instructions on how to register to vote, apply for postal or apply to vote by proxy which you can find in our detailed how-to sections below.

At every polling station there should be reasonable adjustments to aid people that have a disability. Contacting your local electoral registration office is the best way to find out what adjustments have been made at your polling place. Each polling place is chosen to ensure that everyone can access it. Inside the polling place there will be at least one wheelchair accessible booth and pencils, magnifiers and large print ballot papers will be available. You can even take your phone into the booth if you need to use a text-to-speech app to help you vote. There should also be a place to sit, if needed.

If you need help to complete your ballot, you can ask a member of staff or take a friend or relative to help you cast your vote. However, this is not allowed in every kind of election, so it is best to check before heading to the polls.

Making sure you are heard

It is well within your right to request reasonable adjustments to be made at your local polling station. Everyone, no matter their care needs, has a right to vote. If you need adjustments to be made, we recommend contacting your electoral office in advance of election day to ensure adjustments can be made. The My Vote, My Voice campaign has a wealth of information about making voting accessible for everyone.

Register to vote

You, or someone caring for you, can register to vote by post or online. It is not necessary to register for each election, you only need to register if your name, address or nationality changes. The form can be completed in as little as 5 minutes if you have everything ready to go. To register you will need:

  • National insurance number (you can still register if you don’t have one).
  • Full legal name.
  • Address.
  • Contact information.

First, you will be asked what country you live in, then your nationality. After these two questions, you need to fill in your birth date, then your name. It will ask if you have ever changed your name. If you answer yes, you will need to fill in your previous name(s). If you answer no, you will be taken to the next question.

Next, you will be asked your National Insurance Number. You can find your national insurance number on a document such as a P60, payslip or letters about benefits, in your personal tax account or in the HMRC app. You can download a letter stating your national insurance number from your tax account or the HMRC app, so you can easily have it to hand.

After your National Insurance number, you will need to input your postcode and then select your address from the list provided. You will then be asked if you live at a second address, then if you have lived at another address in the last 12 months either in the UK or abroad. If yes, you input your previous postcode and select the correct address from the list. If you answer no, you will be taken to the next question.

The final question will ask how you can be contacted. You can choose to give your email and/or phone number. If you don’t fill in this section with at least one of the two options, your application may be delayed or rejected.

And that’s it. Click the ‘I accept – send my application’ button to finish your application. On the next page you will be given an application reference number which you can use to check your application online. You should hear back about your registration within a couple of weeks by email, post, and/or text, depending on what contact information you gave in the final question.

An easy-read guide for registering to vote is available here.

Applying for a postal vote

Much like with registering to vote, you can apply for a postal vote by post or online. To apply for a postal vote, you must already be registered to vote. In addition to this, to complete your application you need a clear photo of your signature in black pen on plain white paper (digital signatures are not accepted). To vote by post this general election, you’ll need to apply by 5pm on Wednesday 19 June.

First, you will be asked if you are registered to vote. If you answer yes, you will be redirected to register to vote. If you answer no, you will go onto the next question. You will then be asked if you have changed you name since you last registered to vote. If you answer yes, you will be redirected to re-register. If your answer is no, you will go on to the next question.

You will be asked where you are registered to vote next. Then you will need to input your post code and select your address from the list provided.

The next question asks whether you want your postal vote sent to your registered address in the UK. If you choose no, you will need to explain why you want your postal vote sent to a different address. Choosing ‘yes’ will take you to the next question.

Next you will be asked how long you want the postal vote to be in place for. You can choose the maximum period (3 years), for one or more elections held on specific days or for elections taking place during a set period of time.

After this, you will need to input your name. You will be asked if you have had any previous names. If you choose yes, you will need to input your previous name(s). If you choose no, you will be taken to the next question where you will be asked your date of birth.

For the next question you will be asked for your national insurance number. Please see the ‘registering to vote’ section for advice on where to find your national insurance number.

After this you will be asked if you can write your own signature and then to upload a photo of the signature. There are clear instructions on the page for what the image must look like. You have to approve the image after it has been uploaded and then you will be taken to the next question.

For the final question, you will need to input the email and/or phone number that can be used to contact you. If you do not supply at least one contact, your application may be delayed or rejected.

Lastly, you will be shown your filled out form. Here you can check all your answers are correct and then click the ‘I accept – send my application’ button to send off your application. 

An easy-read guide for applying for a postal vote is available here.

Applying for a proxy vote

You can apply to vote by proxy by post or online. However, this service is not available to everyone, please see above for qualifying factors for applying to vote by proxy. For this application you will need your national insurance number, contact information, address, and a clear photo of your signature in black ink on plain white paper. You will also need the name, address and contact information of your proxy. To vote by proxy this general election, you’ll need to apply by 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.

First, you will be asked if you are registered to vote. Then you will be asked if you have changed you name since you last registered to vote. If you answer yes, you will be redirected to re-register. If your answer is no, you will go on to the next question.

You will be asked where you are registered to vote next. Then you will be asked why you want to vote by proxy, there is a list of reasons to choose from. If none of the reasons apply, you can explain your reason by choosing ‘I have another reason that prevents me from voting in person’.

Next you will be asked how long you want the postal vote to be in place for. You can choose the maximum period, for one election held on a specific day or for elections taking place during a set period of time.

Then you will need to input your post code and select your address from the list provided. After this, you will need to input your name. You will be asked if you have had any previous names. If you choose yes, you will need to input your previous name(s). If you choose no, you will be taken to the next question where you will be asked your date of birth.

For the next question you will be asked for your national insurance number. Please see the ‘registering to vote’ section for advice on where to find your national insurance number.

After this you will be asked if you can write your own signature and then to upload a photo of the signature. There are clear instructions on the page for what the image must look like. You have to approve the image after it has been uploaded and then you will be taken to the next question.

For the next question, you will need to input the email and/or phone number that can be used to contact you. If you do not supply at least one contact, your application may be delayed or rejected.

The next section of the form is about your proxy. You will first be asked if they are eligible to be your proxy (please see above for eligibility requirements), then you need to confirm they have agreed to be your proxy. Next you will input the full name of your proxy, their postcode and then select their address from the drop-down menu.

For the final question, you will need to input the email and/or phone number that can be used to contact your proxy. If you do not supply at least one contact, your application may be delayed or rejected.

Lastly, you will be shown your filled out form. Here you can check all your answers are correct. If everything is correct, click the ‘I accept – send my application’ button to send off your application. 

An easy-read guide for applying for voting by proxy is available here.

Voting at a polling station? Make sure you have ID

Lastly, in order to cast your vote at a polling station on election day you must bring a valid photo ID with you. For a list of accepted photo ID, please click here. However, if you don’t have any ID available you can apply for a free ‘Voter Authority Certificate’ here. This is a form of ID designed especially for elections so that individuals without ID can still vote and have their voices heard. The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for the general election is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.



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