Voting in Elections
Voting in Person
You vote in person at a polling station (usually in a public building, such as a school or local hall).
Voter ID
From May 2023, you will be required to show photographic identifcation at the polling station before you are issued with your ballot paper. For more information on this, please see our Voter ID FAQs.
Your poll card
You’ll be sent a poll card just before an election telling you when to vote and at which polling station. You can only vote at the polling station location on your card.
If you have not received a poll card but think you should, contact us on 01264 368000 or elecreg@testvalley.gov.uk.
You can still vote if you’ve lost your card as you do not need to take your card with you in order to vote.
When you can vote
Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on the day of an election (‘polling day’).
Where you can vote
You can look up your polling station at The Democracy Club's website: wheredoivote.co.uk or you can use the look up at the bottom of this page.
When you get to the polling station
Give your name and address to the staff inside the polling station when you arrive.
They will ask to see your photographic identification (from elections in May 2023 onwards)
You’ll be given a ballot paper containing a list of the people, parties or options you can vote for.
Filling in your ballot paper
Follow the instructions on the notices in the polling booth and on the top of the ballot paper to vote, before placing it in the ballot box.