Registering to vote in 2022 local elections in Oxfordshire
Registering to vote in person
Anyone who has moved home since they last registered to vote, has changed their name or recently turned 18 will need to register to vote before midnight on 14 April if they want to have their say on polling day.
Those already registered to vote at their current address do not need to re-register, and polling cards are already being sent out to them. Polling cards show people where their polling station is and which elections are scheduled where they live.
The deadline for people to register to vote is 11:59pm on Thursday, 14 April. It helps if people have their national insurance numbers to hand when registering to vote.
If you don’t think you can make it to the polling station on 05 May to cast your vote in the local election, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out. If you can’t vote in person, you can vote by post or by appointing someone you trust to vote in your place, which is known as a proxy vote.
Applying for a postal vote
You can apply for a postal vote for a single election on a specific date, for a specific period, or permanently. If you are not already registered for a postal vote, and you want one for the election on 05 May, you need to apply by 5.00pm on 19 April.
The City Council must collect signatures and dates of birth to check postal votes cast at election time to prevent and detect electoral fraud and to protect votes. This means you’ll need to download a postal vote application form from the Electoral Commission website.
Once complete, the form needs to be delivered to the Elections Office at your local authority.
Applying for a proxy vote
An alternative to a postal vote is a proxy vote. To apply for a proxy vote, you have to complete a form and give a reason why you can’t get to your polling station in person. This may be because you’re going to be away or have a physical condition that means you can’t get to your polling station.
You can download the proxy vote application form from the Electoral Commission website. You will then need to complete and sign the form and return it to the Elections Office at your local authority. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for this election is 5.00pm on 26 April.
