Register to vote

To vote you will need to register online at www.gov.uk/register_to_vote/

Register to get your name on the electoral register. You need to be on the electoral register to vote in elections and referendums.

You will need to provide your name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. This can be found on your national insurance card, or in official paperwork such as payslips, or letters about benefits or tax credits.  You will then get confirmation to say you're registered and your name and address will appear on the electoral register.

You only need to register once - not for every election. Please note that unless you are registered to vote you will not be eligible for a postal or proxy vote.

Who can register

You can register if you're both:

• Aged 16 or over
• A UK citizen (or an Irish, EU or Commonwealth citizen with a permanent UK address)

Visit: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections for a postal or proxy vote application.

Updating your registration

You can use the register_to_vote service to change your name, address or nationality.

To do this, you need to register again with your new details (even if you're already registered to vote).

Voter ID now required at polling stations

All voters going to a polling station to vote will now be required to show an accepted form of photographic identification (photo ID) before they are given a ballot paper. There are different types of photographic ID that can be used or if you do not have photo ID you can apply for a voter authority certificate from us. Please check this page for more information on what is acceptable photo ID.

The Electoral Register and the Open Register

Using information received from the public, registration officers keep two registers - the Electoral Register and the Open Register (also known as the edited register).

The Electoral Register:

The Electoral Register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. This register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as:

• detecting crime (for example, fraud)
• calling people for jury service
• checking credit applications

Open Register:

The Open Register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

If you are already registered to vote and would like to opt in or out or the open register, please email electoralservices@hastings.gov.uk with your name, address and preference.

You can find more information about both registers and how they may be used at www.gov.uk/register_to_vote/.

Your personal information

We will only use the information you give us for electoral purposes.  Please look at our electoral registration privacy notice for more information.

How should students living away from home register to vote?

Students can register at both a home address and a term-time address but may only vote once at the same election. In other words, you cannot vote twice in a UK Parliamentary or European Parliamentary election, but you can vote in local government elections at home and at your term-time address, as long as they are not in the same local government area. 

Visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections for further information.