Register to vote
From Thursday 4 May 2023 you will have to show an official form of photo ID when you attend a polling station to vote.
You must be on the electoral register to vote in all elections and referenda held in the United Kingdom, including local and parliamentary elections.
If you are not on the register you may find it harder to get a loan, mortgage, finance agreement, or even a mobile phone contract as the electoral register is used by credit reference agencies as part of their checks.
1. Check if you are registered to vote
How to check if you are registered
Fill in our simple online form
Clock Completing this form takes only 2 minutes
Paperclip You can only check your own details to see if you are registered to vote.
Check onlineAfter you've checked
We try to confirm by return email within 3 to 5 working days that you are registered.
If you are not registered, we will tell you how to register.
2. If you are unsure if you are registered to vote
Please contact Electoral Services:
- Phone 01484 221650
- Email electoral.registration@kirklees.gov.uk
Register to vote
Don't forget to apply to register to vote when you move house. You need to apply to re-register when you move address.
How to register to vote
Fill in the form on the gov.uk website.
Clock Applying usually takes around 5 minutes.
Paperclip To complete the application you will need: your National Insurance number; your passport if you are a British citizen living abroad
Apply to registerAfter you've applied
You may be asked to provide extra evidence.
If you are eligible your name will be included on the electoral register.
Individual Electoral Registration (IER)
Individual Electoral Registration (IER) means that every individual is personally responsible for being on the electoral register.
- If you change your name please Contact Electoral Services to update the register.
- If you have a postal vote you need to renew and provide a new specimen signature.
If you are not on the electoral register, you could lose your right to vote.
Who can register
You can register to vote if you are:
- 16 or older (although you can't vote until you are 18)
- living at an address in the Kirklees area
- a British citizen; or an Irish, qualifying Commonwealth, or European Union Citizen living in the UK
If you are a student and have a home address and a term address you can register to vote at both addresses as long as they are not in the same council area.
- At local elections you can vote in both places.
- At national elections, like a general election or referendum you can only vote in one place, but you can choose which place to vote in.
Voting in more than one place at a national election or referendum is a criminal offence.
If you own and live in more than one property, you may be able to register to vote at both addresses as long as they are both are not in the same council area. Contact Electoral Services for further advice and information.
- At local elections you can vote in both places.
- At national elections, like a general election or referendum you can only vote in one place, but you can choose which place to vote in.
Voting in more than one place at a national election or referendum is a criminal offence.
On the 16 January 2024, the Government introduced new legislation that allows British Citizens living overseas to register to vote with no restriction on the timeframe to when an applicant was last registered to vote. Historically, overseas applicants must have been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years.
You can still register to vote if you are working outside the UK as a Crown Servant or as an employee of the British Council, or if you are married to, or are the civil partner of, a Crown servant or British Council employee and you are accompanying them during their employment abroad.
People in the Armed Forces, and their spouses and civil partners, can register to vote as a service voter or an ordinary voter.
If you are based overseas, or expect to be posted abroad in the next year:
- Register as a service voter.
- This allows you to be registered at a fixed address in the UK even if you move around.
- A service voter registration lasts for five years so you shouldn't have to worry about it while posted overseas.
- You will need your service number handy.
If you are based in the UK for the foreseeable future, we recommend you register to vote as an ordinary elector.
If your safety or that of any other person in your home will be at risk if your name or address is made public you can register anonymously. Your name and address will not be visible to anyone who inspects the register.
- Contact Electoral Services to register anonymously.
- Do not complete an application online.
- To register anonymously you need to provide court documents or get your application supported and signed by, for example, a senior police officer or director of social services.
- Anonymous registration lasts for one year at a time and then must be renewed.
You can register to vote even if you don't have a fixed address. This may be because you are:
- a patient in a mental health hospital
- a homeless person
- a person remanded in custody.
Contact Electoral Services to register.
Assistance for people with disabilities
Why you should be on the electoral register
Mencap: Easy read guide to voting in the local elections
Register to vote easy read guide
RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind): Your rights: Voting and elections - Advice for people with sight loss.
If you have a learning disability and/or autism, you may need reasonable adjustments to support you to vote in an election. You can download and complete a My Voting Passport and take it with you when you go to the polling station.