Register to vote
To be able to vote in elections, you must be registered to vote. By law, you must register to vote if you are eligible to do so, or you could be fined up to £80.
You only need to register once and you do not need to register separately for every election. Paying your Council Tax does not mean you are automatically registered to vote.
You must register again if you have changed address, name, or nationality.
Register to vote
The easiest way to register to vote is on the GOV.UK website, it takes about 5 minutes.
As part of the application process you will need your national insurance number, so please have this to hand before you start.
Everyone in your home must register individually.
Registering to vote does not automatically add you to the electoral register. We must check your details first, then you will get a letter either confirming you are registered or asking for more information.
The deadline to register to vote for the next scheduled election in May, is 16 April 2024.
Who can register to vote?
You can register to vote if you are:
- 16 or older (although you cannot vote until you are 18)
- living at an address in the Chorley Council area
- a British Citizen
- an Irish, qualifying Commonwealth, or European Union Citizen living in the UK.
To check if you are already registered to vote, contact 01772 625 625 or email electoralservices@southribble.gov.uk.
If you need official confirmation that you are registered to vote for something like a mortgage application, loan, credit agreement, or similar, we can send you an official letter. Please specify this when you contact us.
If you do not register at all, this may affect your ability to get credit, as well as meaning you will not be able to vote, and you may be fined.
Alternative voting options
We appreciate everybody's circumstances are different. There are various other options related to voting that may apply to you. If any of the below apply, please select an option for more information on how to register and vote:
- How to register?
- Online
- Post
- Registering to vote at more than one address
- Registering to vote without a fixed address
- Anonymous registration
- Overseas voters
- Learning disabilities and registering to vote
- Changing your details
- Find your polling station
How to register?
You can register to vote online or by post.
Once you have registered, you will receive a letter of confirmation.
To register to vote, you must be one of the following:
- A British citizen
- An EU citizen resident in the UK
- A qualifying Commonwealth* citizen resident in the UK
*a qualifying Commonwealth citizen is someone who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or does not require such leave.
Online
You can register to vote online using the GOV.UK website. You will need to provide your National Insurance number.
By post
Download, print off and complete an application form and return it to Electoral Services, Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, PR25 1DH.
To download the register to vote application form from the GOV.UK website click here.
Registering to vote at more than one address
People are usually registered at one address only, which they consider to be their permanent home address. If you are living somewhere temporarily but have a permanent address you should register at the permanent address.
The exception to this is where the property is listed as an empty property for Council Tax purposes. In these instances there should be no electors registered at the property.
Registering to vote without a fixed address
You can register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address. To register you need to give an address where you would be living if it were not for your current situation or an address where you have lived in the past. If you are homeless you can give details of where you spend a substantial part of your time.
For further information about how to register click here.
To download the register to vote application form from the GOV.UK website click here.
Anonymous registration
Anonymous registration was set up to help individuals whose safety would be at risk (or where the safety of other people at the same address would be at risk) if their name and address was listed on the electoral register - e.g. a person who has fled domestic abuse.
To download the register to vote application form from the GOV.UK website click here.
Overseas voters
If you are an overseas voter you can register in the same way as normal by clicking here You will need your passport number and the address of where you were last registered to vote in the UK. You must have been registered at an address in the UK within the last 15 years. An overseas registration lasts for a year and so you will need to renew annually. We will get in touch with you when it is time to renew.
Learning disabilities and registering to vote
People with learning disabilities have the same right to vote as everyone else. The Cabinet Office have produced a step by step easy to read guide to registering to vote for people with a learning disability.
Changing your details
If you need to change your personal details, for example to correct a spelling mistake or change your name, you need to re-register with the correct details through the GOV.UK registration site. You will need your National Insurance number. Click here if you wish to change your personal details.
Find your polling station
Please click here to use our polling station finder tool.
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