Electoral register and registering to vote

The electoral register is a list of everyone who is allowed to vote at election time. If you’re not on it, you won’t be allowed to vote.

During August each year we contact every household in the district to check the details of who is registered to vote, this is the annual canvass.

Every time you move house, you must update your details - it only takes about 5 minutes and you will need your national insurance number.

Update your details

Sometimes we may need extra information before we can confirm you are on the register. We will write to you and tell you if we need anything from you.

If you are not sure whether you are registered, you can call us on 01295 227005, or email elections@cherwell-dc.gov.uk and we can check for you.

If you serve in the forces, live abroad or need to remain anonymous for safety reasons - find out how to register

What happens after you register?

Once you are on the register for your address, you’re allowed to vote. We have to write to every household once a year to check who is living there, this is called the annual canvass. Other than that you don’t have to do anything to keep your right to vote.

The register isn’t just used for elections purposes. Find out more about the full and open versions of the register.

For support on voting if you have a disability, please click here.

Elections Act 2022

The Elections Act 2022 was granted Royal Assent and passed into law on 28 April 2022. It has made changes to the way we vote and the franchise for EU citizens and British citizens who live overseas.  We have included a summary of the main changes and their implementation dates and will update when more information is available.

Further information about the changes is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Voter ID

For all elections held from May 2023, Electors voting in a polling station must show an accepted form of photo identification. Further information is available on our Voter ID page.

Changes to Postal and Proxy Voting

Absent voting allows you to vote in an election if you are unable to vote in person at the polling station on the day. There are two types of absent voting:

Postal voting - once a completed application has been submitted, a postal pack, which will include your ballot paper will be sent to you by post. Depending on when you applied and due to the statutory election timetable, postal votes are sent around two to three weeks before polling day . You will be required to complete your postal pack using the guidance in the pack and return it in time to be included in the counting of votes. 

Proxy voting – you can appoint someone you to trust to vote on your behalf. Once appointed they will vote at the polling station you would normally vote at.   

The following provisions came into force on 31 October 2023 and apply for all election types in England.

  • You will have the option to apply for a postal vote and some types of proxy vote online, but you must still provide a wet ink signature as we cannot accept typed electronic signatures. 
  • You will need to provide your national insurance number when applying for an absent vote, whether this is an online application or paper application. All applications will be subject to a check against information held by the Department for Work and Pensions, similar to the process for applications to register to vote.
  • The maximum period for a permanent postal vote will be three years. Electors will be contacted at their renewal time to submit a new application. You will only be able to act as a proxy for up to two people living in the UK (or a maximum of four people, with two people living in the UK and two people registered as living overseas).
  • As part of the proxy vote changes, we must write to all electors with a permanent proxy vote, requesting you submit a new application. If you do not submit a new application by 31 January 2024, we must cancel you proxy vote.

Provisions relating to postal vote handling and secrecy will be in effect for polls taking place from May 2024:

  • Political parties and campaigners will be banned from handling postal vote packs, except where the postal vote is their own, that of a close family member or someone that they provide regular care for.  
  • There will be a limit on the number of postal vote packs that a person can hand in at a polling station and the council offices – your own plus five for other electors - and the individual will be required to complete a form when handing in postal votes.
  • Secrecy requirements will be extended to postal and proxy votes.

British overseas electors - votes for life

Register as an Overseas Voter (UK citizen living abroad)

If you are a British Citizen living overseas who has previously lived in the UK or been registered to vote in the UK, you can register to vote in UK Parliamentary elections and national referendums (if the referendum franchise includes overseas voters). 

You will be registered at the constituency where you were last registered to vote, or where you lived if you were not registered before.

On 16 January 2024  the 15 year limit on voting rights for British citizens living overseas ended – there is no longer a time limit. You can now register online

Eligibility

British citizens, including eligible Irish citizens and citizens of Crown Dependencies, may register as overseas voters if they are now living abroad, providing you:

  • Were previously registered in the UK (either before you left the UK or as an overseas voters
  • Were previously resident in the UK  

Registering

You need to register using the latest address that you were last registered to vote at in the UK. If you have never been registered you will need to provide details of your previous residency. Please ensure you select the correct option when registering.

We must be satisfied that you were registered or lived in the area previously and can verify your identity. We can check previous electoral registers, other local records and evidence provided by you.

Renewing your overseas voter registration  

Your overseas declaration is now valid for three years (previously 12 months).

Your registration will need to be renewed before  1 November in the third year after you registered as an overseas voter, unless you have successfully renewed it in the meantime.

For example, if your declaration takes effect on 1 March 2024, it will expire on 1 November 2026. We will contact you ahead or your renewal date.

Voting

You will need to vote in your allocated polling station in your constituency in the UK unless you have postal or proxy arrangements in place.

You  must  apply separately to vote by post (Postal Vote) or to apply for someone to vote on their behalf (Proxy Vote).

The statutory timetable for running elections means it is not possible to send postal ballot papers to overseas voters until two weeks before polling day. Overseas voters MUST be sure their marked postal ballot paper and completed postal vote statement will reach us before 10pm on polling day, or it will not be counted.

If you doubt that your Postal Ballot Paper can be returned to us by polling day, then you should consider applying for someone to vote on your behalf (Proxy Vote).

Further Information and enquiries

To find out more about overseas voter registration visit: Electoral Commission - Register as an Overseas voters.

EU  Citizens' Voting and Candidacy Rights (EUVCR)

Eligibility Confirmation and Review for European Union Citizens

EU citizens are no longer automatically entitled to register to vote and stand for election.

Two groups of EU citizens will retain their rights:

  • Qualifying EU citizens' from countries with reciprocal agreements, and who have leave, or do not require it, to remain in the UK - currently Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain
  • EU citizens with 'retained rights' who, on or before 31 December 2020, were legally resident in the UK, had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and this has continued without a break

Review Process

Electoral  Registration Officers (EROs) are required to conduct a review of all European Citizens that are registered to vote.  If the ERO is unable to confirm that an EU voter has resided in the UK before 31 December 2020, through checking historical electoral register records, a letter or email will be sent to that voter to confirm whether they remain eligible to be registered under the new criteria.