Register to vote

Am I registered to vote?

If you filled in the annual canvass form that came through your door between July and September last year you should still be registered. You will need to register again if you have moved home since then. Please contact us to check if you are on the register (see the contact information on this page for details).

Please note that paying Council Tax does not mean you are on the electoral register.  There are different requirements to be registered to vote.

If you live in a local authority area outside Bristol, and wish to contact your local Electoral Services, please see the About my vote website.

Who can register?

Any person who is 18 years and over and is a British, Commonwealth, Irish Republic or European Union member state citizen living in the Bristol area, who is not currently on the register.  Please see our list of countries that are eligible to register (pdf, 49 KB) (opens new window).

What is the electoral register?

The Electoral Register is a list of people in the Bristol area who are eligible to vote in an election. So that you can vote in an election your name must be on the register.  By law everyone must register to vote, however voting is not compulsory.

Following the annual canvass, in October 2012 there were 323,711 people on the electoral register and 91% of households registered.  The eligible electorate for the 2012 Mayoral and Police Crime Commissioner Elections was 320,321.

Edited and full register

There are two versions of the Electoral Register, a full copy and an edited copy.

The full copy lists the name and address of everyone who is registered to vote. The Council holds a copy. Anyone can look at it, but it is a criminal offence to supply and use copies for purposes other than set down in law. The main use of the full register is to show who can vote in elections and referendums. Credit reference agencies can use it, but only if you are applying for credit and for other purposes specified in law. It can also be used for law enforcement.

The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. If you do not want your details to be sold, tick the last column (on the Register to Vote form). This is called opting out. If you want your details to be available for sale then ensure the last column is blank (ie no tick).

If you are not already on the register of electors, or are moving home, please complete the register to vote form (pdf, 18 KB) (opens new window). You must send it to us either by:

• post to Electoral Services, FREEPOST (NAT 11762), Bristol, BS1 5BR (no stamp is required) , or
• fax to 0117 922 3461
• you cannot complete the form online as we require a signature on the form

Once registered, you will be sent a poll card before each election in which you are able to vote, giving information about how to do so. 

Students

If you're a student living away from home, you can register and take part in some local elections from both your home and your university (term time) addresses. You can only do this if the two addresses are in different councils/police areas. The elections for which you can vote in both areas are:

• Local council.
• Mayor.
• Police and Crime Commissioner.

It is an offence to vote more than once in a national election.

If your home address is outside Bristol, please see the About my vote website to find out how to contact the Electoral Services for your local authority.

European Union citizens

If you are resident in Bristol

A European Union citizen can only vote at a local Bristol City Council election and a European election but not in General Parliamentary elections. European Union citizens can also vote in Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Commonwealth or Irish citizens haves the same voting rights as a British citizen and can vote at all elections.  See - Countries eligible to register (pdf, 49 KB) (opens new window).

European Union law provides for EU citizens to vote in local and European Parliamentary elections for the member state they are resident in.  However, each member state is free to determine its own franchise rules for national Parliamentary elections and referendums.  In the UK the British Parliamentary franchise has not been extended to other EU citizens.

Young voters

You can go on the electoral register from the age of 16, but you will not be able to vote until you are 18.   We recommend that you go on the register of electors from the age of 16, so that you can vote in future elections once you are 18.   See our young voters' guide for more information.

Special arrangements for registering to vote

There are certain circumstances where special arrangements for registration and voting need to be made.

For information about how to make sure that arrangements appropriate to your circumstances are made, please use the links below:

• Overseas voters
• Service voters
• Crown servant or as an employee of the British Council
• Homeless
• Prisoners on remand
• Anonymous electors