Voting is the act of marking a ballot paper to indicate your choice of candidate(s) in an election. Your vote counts – it could sway an election from someone who doesn’t have your interests at heart to someone who does.
You can vote in person at your polling station (usually a school or local hall) on polling day. You’ll be sent a poll card before the election or referendum telling you when and where to go. You don’t have to bring your poll card, but it can save time if you do.
If you can’t make it to your polling station you can apply to vote by post or proxy. Find out more about this on our How to vote page.
When you get to the polling station, the presiding officer or poll clerk will check your name and address against the electoral register. If everything is correct they’ll give you a ballot paper(s) and a booth number.
Each ballot paper has the names of the candidates and their party logos (if any) and a box where you mark your preference for each candidate. The papers also have a unique identifying number and a watermark or perforation. At the close of the poll, the presiding officer or poll clerk writes your elector number next to this unique identifying number on a separate list (called the corresponding numbers list) which is sealed inside a packet that may only be opened by court order if there’s a challenge to the result.