You must be aged 16 or over.

You can register to vote if you're a British citizen or an Irish citizen.

You can also register if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man - or you do not need permission - and you are a:

• Commonwealth citizen
• Citizen of Denmark
• Citizen of another EU country, who on or before 31 December 2020 had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and has continued without a break

Register online

You can now register to vote by going to the national voter registration website and entering your details, it usually takes 5 minutes. Please have your National Insurance Number with you as this information is requested for verification purposes. If you cannot provide this information, we may ask you for other documentary evidence.

Register to vote online

Email us

Email us at: elections@northdevon.gov.uk and provide your name(s) and address. We will send you the necessary forms through the post for you to complete.

Contact us by telephone

Please call us on 01271 388340, we can register you over the phone. You will need to know your date of birth, nationality and National Insurance Number. Or, if you prefer, just provide your name(s) and address and we will send you the necessary forms through the post for you to complete.

The Electoral Commission has produced an "easy-read" version of the registration form in English and Welsh. People with a disability can get help completing an application, but the person who wants to register to vote has to make the declaration.

Easy read registering to vote guide

If you would like to check if you are registered to vote, you can contact us by telephone, email or post.

Phone: 01271 388340

Email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk

Post address:

Electoral Registration Officer
North Devon Council
Lynton House
Commercial Road
Barnstaple
EX31 1DG

Please note, if you have applied recently to go on the electoral roll, your application can take up to 10 working days to be processed. Once your application has been processed successfully, you will receive a confirmation letter by email or post. If you have provided your e-mail address, please check your spam box.

New applications to register to vote are data matched with government records. Where a match cannot be found or full details requested haven't be provided, you will be sent a request for 'Evidence of identity' or 'Incomplete application'. In the case of 'Evidence of identity', a copy should be provided, not the original.

You can submit your evidence:

By email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk

By post:

  Electoral Registration Officer
  North Devon Council
  Lynton House
  Commercial Road
  Barnstaple
  EX31 1DG

In person at our Town Centre Hub. We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Please allow 10 working days to receive your letter by post. If you have provided an email address, please check your spam folder first. If you still cannot find a confirmation letter, please get in touch with us.

Email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk

Phone: 01271 388340

From May 2023 voters will be required to show photographic identification at polling stations before they are given a ballot paper.

More information on voter ID

If you are unable to get to the polling station on polling day, you can apply to vote by post. Any person on the register can apply for a postal vote, you do not need to give a reason. Before you apply for a postal vote, please make sure you are registered to vote, you know your full address details and National Insurance Number. Once you apply we will confirm the duration of your postal vote.

Apply for a postal vote online - GOV UK

Previously, postal votes could only be applied for by completing a paper application form. Paper forms are still available from the Electoral Commission website, and can also be requested from North Devon Council's Electoral Services Team on 01271 388277 or elections@northdevon.gov.uk.

Paper forms need to be sent by email to elections@northdevon.gov.uk or by post to Electoral Services, Lynton House, Commercial Road, Barnstaple, EX31 1DG

Postal votes will last for a maximum of three years with voters required to re-apply for their postal vote at the end of this period.

If you cannot vote in person on the election day, you can ask someone to vote on your behalf. This is known as a proxy vote. 

You can only apply for a proxy vote under certain circumstances, including: being away on polling day, having a medical issue or not being able to vote in person because of work or military service. Your proxy should be someone you trust to vote on your behalf. You’ll need to tell them which candidate (or referendum outcome) you want to vote for.

Please note that a proxy can vote for a maximum of 4 people. No more than 2 of those people can be domestic electors. Domestic electors are voters who are neither overseas voters nor service voters.

A National Insurance Number will need to be provided as part of the application process. If someone is not able to provide it, alternative proof of identity may be accepted.

How to apply

Please note that you can only apply online for some types of proxy, including:

• Proxy application for a particular election or referendum
• Proxy application for a definite or indefinite period for overseas and service electors

Apply online for a proxy vote - GOV UK

Paper forms need to be used for the following types of proxy:

• Proxy application for definite or indefinite period due to disability
• Proxy application for definite or indefinite period due to employment, attending educational course etc
• Emergency proxy application

Download forms for proxy voting - GOV UK

Completed paper applications need to be sent by email to elections@northdevon.gov.uk or post to Electoral Services, Lynton House, Commercial Road, Barnstaple, EX31 1DG.

If you cannot print the form or complete it online please contact us:

Telephone: 01271 388277

Email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk

If you have recently moved into a new property and you had a postal/proxy vote at your previous address, you will need to complete a new application.

Apply for a new postal vote online - GOV UK

Apply for a new proxy vote online - GOV UK

Paper forms are available from the Electoral Commission's website.

To cancel your proxy/postal vote, please contact us by email elections@northdevon.gov.uk or call us on 01271 388277. Please note deadlines for cancelling/amending absent votes apply during elections periods. Refer to the Current Election Information page for details of elections that are occurring.

If you have received a postal/proxy vote and the information registered is incorrect, please contact the office immediately using the contact details above.

If you or someone that you are assisting is unable to supply a consistent signature due to a disability or inability to read or write, you can request the signature on the postal vote application to be waived. This can be requested during the application process when applying online for a postal vote. If a paper application has been completed instead we will send to the applicant a declaration form to be completed.

Please note that it is an offence to provide false information in connection with an application for an absent vote, and that this carries (on summary conviction) a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

If you wish to cancel your postal/proxy vote, you can contact us by telephone on 01271 388340 or email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk.

The deadline for cancelling/amending absent votes apply during elections periods. Please refer to the Current Election Information page for details of elections that are occurring.

You need to re-register to vote. Even if you have informed council tax that you have moved, you still need to update your details on the electoral roll. If you have informed the council tax about this change, you may receive an invitation to register to vote. However, you do not need to wait to receive this letter, you can now complete the final step by going to the national voter registration website.

Register to vote - GOV UK

If you are unable to complete the form online you can contact us for a form or register you on the phone.

Telephone

Please call us on: 01271 388340, we can register you over the phone. You will need to know your date of birth, nationality and national insurance number. Or, if you prefer, just provide your name(s) and address and we will send you the necessary forms through the post for you to complete.

Email

Please email us at: elections@northdevon.gov.uk and provide your name(s) and address.

In writing

Please send us a letter to: Electoral Services, North Devon District Council, Lynton House, Commercial Road, Barnstaple, EX31 1DG

We need to see proof of your change of name. Please send a photocopy of one of the following alongside your name and address to: elections@northdevon.gov.uk:

• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Overseas marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Amended birth certificate
• Deed poll

You can also send it by post to:

Electoral Services
North Devon Council
Lynton House
Commercial Road
Barnstaple
EX31 1DG

Alternatively, you can complete a new registration.

Register to vote - GOV UK

If the information that we hold is incorrect please get in contact with us. Call us on 01271 388340 or send us an e-mail to: elections@northdevon.gov.uk.

I have registered less than 3 months ago

If you have registered at a new property recently, please note this information will not be sent immediately to the Credit Agencies. We update credit agencies once a month, with the exception of September to December. During this period the annual canvass is carried out and there is no provision for updating the credit reference agencies until the revised register is published in December. Credit agencies are aware of this process.

Once you have registered, you should receive a confirmation letter within 10 working days. This letter should tell you the date that your information will be sent to the credit reference agencies.

If you haven't received this letter or after this date your report still shows you are not on the electoral roll, please contact us by email or phone.

Email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk
Phone number: 01271 388340

I registered more than 3 months ago

Please contact us by email: elections@northdevon.co.uk or phone: 01271 388340, so we can check your electoral roll details. Although we supply the electoral roll to the credit agencies, please note we cannot get involved in their updating process. However, we can provide you with a Certificate of Registration which you can use as proof to show your credit reference agency that you are on the electoral roll.

For further information, please contact your credit agency.

We update credit agencies once a month, with the exception of September to December. During this period the annual canvass is carried out and there is no provision for updating the credit reference agencies until the revised register is published in December. Credit agencies are aware of this process.

Once you have registered, you should receive a confirmation letter within 10 working days. This letter should tell you the date that your information will be on the electoral roll and sent to the credit reference agencies. Please use the image below as a reference.

If you need to prove that you are on the electoral roll, we can provide you with a Certificate of Registration. This document contains the following information: full name, address and electoral roll number.

To request this, please contact us by email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk or phone: 01271 388340. Please note due to our data protection policy, you will need to request your own Certificate of Registration and we cannot provide other peoples information.

We aim to supply this the same working day, however, during busy periods it can take 3-4 working days.

If you are a student you can vote using your university or home address. It is legal to be registered in two areas, but a criminal offence to vote more than once in the same election. If you are already registered at your home address, you can use a postal vote or proxy vote if you are not there on the election day.

National polls are considered to be one election, but local elections are considered separate elections. You can only vote once in a national poll, such as a UK Parliamentary general election. This means you must choose if you want to vote at your home address or at your term-time address.

If you're not able to make it to the polling station on the day, you can apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote (when someone you trust votes on your behalf).

You can choose whether to register as a service voter or to register to vote in the usual way.

If you’re based abroad or expected to be posted abroad in the next year, you can register as a service voter. When you register as a service voter you’ll be registered at a fixed address in the UK (even if you move around), your registration will last for five years and you will be able to cancel your service voter registration at any time.

Register as a service voter - GOV UK

If you are unlikely to change your address and you have a UK based address, you can register as usual.

Register to vote - GOV UK

If you apply for a postal vote we will send you a postal vote pack before the election. You will need to return this to our office by the deadline. If you think you will not have time to receive and return you postal vote on time, you can set up a proxy vote (when someone you trust votes on your behalf).

If you decide to apply for a proxy vote, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. The person appointed as a proxy can decide to vote at the polling station or by post for you. You can set a proxy vote until further notice (while you are registered as service voter), for a particular election/referendum or for a specific period of time.

To register as an overseas voter you must be a British citizen living overseas, aged 16 or over (although you won’t be able to vote until you are 18) and you must also have been registered to vote in the UK or been a resident (lived) in the UK before.

As an overseas elector your are eligible to vote in UK Parliament elections. You can register now by applying online. You should register at your last known address in the UK.

Register to vote - GOV UK

Your registration will last up to 3 years. You will receive a reminder when it's time to renew.

To be able to cast your vote from abroad you will need to apply online to vote by post or proxy once you have registered to vote.

More information about voting if you live abroad - GOV UK

If you were too young to be included on the register at the time you left the UK, you can still register as an overseas elector. Please note in this case, we may ask you for other documentary evidence before processing your application.

If you cannot complete the forms online, please call us on 01271 388277, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM or send us an email to elections@northdevon.gov.uk.

If you have a second home within North Devon, you can still register to vote at this property to vote in local elections and referendums.

Please note, although you can register at more than one address, it is illegal to vote more than once at the same election. National polls are considered to be one election, but local elections are considered separate elections. You can only vote once in a national poll, such as a UK Parliamentary general election.

If you don't wish to be added on the Electoral Roll for your second home and you have received an invitation, please get in touch with our office on 01271 388340 or by email: elections@northdevon.gov.uk