Never registered to vote? Recently changed address? REGISTER NOW. Don t lose your chance to vote

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1 Never registered to vote? Recently changed address? Crown Copyright 2014 REGISTER NOW Don t lose your chance to vote Voting information for members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces and their families

2 You need to be on the electoral register to vote in all UK elections and referendums This booklet applies to England, Wales and Scotland. Separate arrangements apply in Northern Ireland. For more information about arrangements in Northern Ireland, see the back cover of this booklet. Contents 1 Electoral registration form for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner - England and Wales 2 Electoral registration form for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also register for the independence referendum by completing this form - Scotland 3 Application to vote by post for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also apply to vote by post at the Scottish independence referendum by completing this form - England, Wales and Scotland 4 Application to vote by proxy for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also apply to vote by proxy at the Scottish independence referendum by completing this form - England, Wales and Scotland

3 England and Wales information If you are a member of the Armed Forces, or the husband, wife or registered civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces, and you are a British, Irish, qualifying Commonwealth or EU citizen you can register either as a Service Voter or as an ordinary voter. The way you choose to register to vote will depend on your personal circumstances. You can register as a Service Voter using the form in this booklet. This allows you to be registered for five years at a fixed address in England or Wales even if you move around. Registering as a Service Voter is particularly useful if you are based overseas or think you may be posted overseas in the next few years. If you are based in England or Wales and are unlikely to be posted overseas or change address in the next year, you can alternatively register to vote as an ordinary voter for one year by filling in the registration form that is delivered to your home each year or by completing an ordinary registration form, which you can download from Your unit has a designated Unit Registration Officer who will be able to give you more information and advice. Speak with your administration office for contact details. How do I register as a Service Voter? To register to vote in England or Wales, fill in the registration form overleaf (Form 1). You should only fill in this form if you are resident at an address in England or Wales, or would have been resident in England or Wales if you or your spouse or civil partner were not posted abroad. You are resident at an address if that is your permanent home address. However, this does not mean you need to be physically present at that address all the time if you are temporarily absent, for example, because you are posted abroad, you may still be resident at that address, provided the property remains your permanent home. Whether you are resident at an address will depend on your individual circumstances. If you have any doubts about whether you are resident at an address, you should contact your local Electoral Registration Officer for advice. You can get their details from Make sure you sign the declaration. Return your completed form as soon as possible to the Electoral Registration Office. You can find their contact details at

4 How can I vote? You can vote in one of three ways. By post if you want your ballot paper sent to you. You need to consider whether there is enough time to receive your postal vote, complete and return it so that it arrives by 10pm on polling day. Postal votes that arrive after this time will not be counted. You cannot vote in person if you have applied to vote by post. By proxy when you ask someone you know and trust to vote on your behalf. Your proxy can either vote for you at your polling station or by post. In person if you are able to go to the polling station where you are registered to vote on polling day. If you have appointed a proxy, you can still vote in person at your polling station as long as your proxy has not already voted for you or applied to vote for you by post. If you want to vote by post or by proxy, you need to fill in one of the application forms that are included later in this booklet. Who has my personal details? There are two versions of the register - the full version and the edited version. Your details will appear on the full version of the register, but you can choose whether or not your details appear on the edited register. The full register is used for elections and referendums, preventing and detecting crime, and checking applications for credit. The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing.

5 1 Electoral registration form for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner - England and Wales This form is for ENGLAND AND WALES registration only. Only one person can register using this form. Please read the notes carefully before filling in this form. Please write in black ink and use CAPITAL LETTERS. When you have completed every section and signed the form personally, send it to your Electoral Registration Office. 1 About you Surname First names (in full) Nationality (include dual nationality if appropriate) If you are under 18 years old, please give your date of birth. Current address or BFPO If you have moved and are still registered at your previous address, you also need to provide your previous address: or BFPO Daytime telephone or mobile number (optional) (including country codes) address (optional) 2 Registration address Please give the full address in England or Wales where you would like to register. This should be (tick as appropriate): an address in England or Wales where you are resident. if you are posted abroad and not resident in England or Wales, where you would be living if you or your spouse or civil partner were not in the Armed Forces. if you cannot give either of these, give an address in England or Wales where you have lived previously. 3 Service details Please give your full service details. If you are the spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces, give their service details. Rank or rating Service (tick one box) Royal Navy Army Royal Airforce Service number Tick here if you do not want your name to be included on the edited register, which is available for general sale. What are the 'full' and 'edited' registers? Regiment or corps (Army only) The full register 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 or use copies for purposes other than those set down in law. More information is available at The main use of the full register is to show who can vote in 4 Declaration elections and referendums. Credit reference agencies can use it, but only to check your name and address 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. The edited register can be bought by any person, company or organisation and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing. Please tick if you are the spouse or civil partner of a service voter. You must sign the declaration yourself. If the form is not signed, it will be rejected. This declaration cancels any previous declaration you may have made. I confirm that I am a British, Irish, European Union or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Qualifying Commonwealth citizens are those who have leave to enter or remain in the UK or do not require such leave. I am resident in England or Wales, or would be resident in England or Wales if I or my spouse or civil partner were not serving in the Armed Forces. As far as I know, the details on this form are true and accurate. I understand that to provide false information on this form is an offence, punishable on conviction by imprisonment and/or a fine. Signature Today s date

6 Scotland information You need to be on an electoral register to vote in elections and referendums in Scotland. You can register if you are a British, Irish, other European Union or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Qualifying Commonwealth citizens are those who have leave to enter or remain in the UK or do not require such leave. Registering to vote at elections If you are a member of the Armed Forces, or the husband, wife or registered civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces, and you are a British, Irish, qualifying Commonwealth or EU citizen, you can register to vote in Scotland either as an ordinary voter or a service voter. The way you choose to register to vote will depend on your personal circumstances. You can register as a service voter using the form overleaf (Form 2). This allows you to be registered for five years at a fixed address in Scotland even if you move around. Registering as a service voter is particularly useful if you are based outside of Scotland or think that you may be posted outside of Scotland in the next few years. If you are based in Scotland and are unlikely to be posted overseas or change address in the next year, you can alternatively register to vote as an ordinary voter for one year by filling in the registration form that is delivered to your home each year or by completing an ordinary registration form, which you can download from You can register to vote at elections from age 16 although you will not be able to vote until you are 18. Registering to vote at the Scottish independence referendum There will be a referendum on independence in Scotland on 18 September Anyone aged 16 or over on the date of the referendum will be able to vote. In order to vote in the referendum, you will need to be on the Scottish local government register (either as an ordinary voter or a service voter as described above), or on the register of young voters. The register of young voters will contain details of all those who will be 16 or 17 on the day of the referendum, but who are not eligible to be included on the local government register because of their age. Young voter registration forms have been sent to every household in Scotland along with the standard household registration form, and are also available from If you are a young person who will be 16 or 17 on the day of the referendum, and you live somewhere to be with a parent or guardian who is a service voter (or who is entitled to be a service voter), you can also register to vote in the referendum using the form overleaf (Form 2). If you are entitled to vote at the referendum only, your service declaration will only be valid for the referendum. How do I register to vote as a Service Voter? 1 To register to vote in Scotland, fill in the electoral registration form overleaf (Form 2). You should only fill in this form if: you are resident at an address in Scotland, or would have been resident at an address in Scotland if you or your spouse or civil partner were not posted abroad, or you are a young person who will be 16 or 17 on the day of the referendum and you would have been resident in Scotland if your parent or guardian (or their spouse or civil partner) were not posted outside of Scotland.

7 You are resident at an address if that is your permanent home address. However, this does not mean you need to be physically present at that address all the time if you are temporarily absent, for example, because you are posted abroad, you may still be resident at that address, provided the property remains your permanent home. Whether you are resident at an address will depend on your individual circumstances. If you have any doubts about whether you are resident at an address, you should contact your local Electoral Registration Officer for advice. You can get their details from 2 Make sure you sign the declaration. 3 Return your completed form as soon as possible to your Electoral Registration Office. You can find their contact details at Register to vote as soon as you can, or it may be too late to vote. How can I vote? You can vote in one of three ways. By post if you want your ballot paper sent to you. You need to consider whether there is enough time to receive your postal vote, complete and return it so that it arrives by 10pm on polling day. Postal votes that arrive after this time will not be counted. You cannot vote in person if you have applied to vote by post. By proxy when you ask someone you know and trust to vote on your behalf. Your proxy can either vote for you at your polling station or by post. In person if you are able to go to the polling station where you are registered to vote on polling day. If you have appointed a proxy, you can still vote in person at your polling station as long as your proxy has not already voted for you or applied to vote for you by post. If you want to vote by post or by proxy, you need to fill in one of the application forms that are included later in this booklet. Who has my personal details? If you are eligible to register, your details will be entered on either the local government register or the register of young voters. Which register you will be on will depend on your age (although if you will be aged 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 and have registered as a service voter on the basis that your parent or legal guardian is entitled to be registered as a service voter, your details will always be included on the register of young voters). There are two versions of the local government register the full version and the edited version. Your details will appear on the full version of the register, but you can choose whether or not your details appear on the edited register. The full register is used for elections and referendums, preventing and detecting crime, and checking applications for credit. The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing. The register of young voters will be used only for the referendum but will not be made publicly available. There is no edited register of young voters. Electoral Registration Officers and their staff will see both the local government register and the register of young voters. Information from both registers will also be disclosed to officials running the referendum, the two main campaign groups, and the Electoral Commission. It may also be disclosed for the purposes of criminal proceedings. If you are concerned that inclusion on the register may affect your personal safety, or you do not wish to register using your current address, other registration options may be available. You may be able to use a previous address or to register anonymously. Please contact your Electoral Registration Officer for more information.

8 2 Electoral Registration form for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also register for the independence referendum by completing this form - Scotland This form is for SCOTLAND registration only. Only one person can register using this form. Please read the notes carefully before filling in this form. Please write in black ink and use CAPITAL LETTERS. When you have completed every section and signed the form personally, send it to your electoral registration office. 1 About you Surname First names (in full) Daytime telephone or mobile number (optional) (including country codes) address (optional) Nationality (include dual nationality if appropriate) 2 Registration address If you are under 18 years old, please give your date of birth. Current address or BFPO If you have moved and are still registered at your previous address, you also need to provide your previous address: If you will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 and your parent or guardian is entitled to be a service voter, go to section 2A. Otherwise complete this section. Please give the full address in Scotland where you would like to register. This should be (tick as appropriate): an address in Scotland where you are currently resident. if you are posted abroad and not resident in Scotland, the address where you would be living if you or your spouse or civil partner were not in the Armed Forces. if you cannot give either of these, give an address in Scotland where you have lived previously. or BFPO Local government edited register Tick here if you do not want your name to be included on the edited register, which is available for general sale. What are the 'full' and 'edited' registers? The full register 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 or use copies for purposes other than those set down in law. More information is available at 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 to check your name and address 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. The edited register can be bought by any person, company or organisation and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing. Section 2A - Children of service voters Please give the full address in Scotland where you are living or would be living if you were not living outside of Scotland with your parent or guardian. If you cannot give either of these, give an address in Scotland where you have lived previously. Form continues on next page.

9 2 Electoral Registration form for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also register for the independence referendum by completing this form - Scotland This form is for SCOTLAND registration only. 3 Service details 4 Please give your full service details. If you are the spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces or if you will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 and your parent or guardian is registered (or entitled to be registered) as a service voter, give the service details of the member of the Armed Forces. Rank or rating Service (tick one box) Royal Navy Army Royal Airforce Service number Regiment or corps (Army only) Declaration You must sign the declaration yourself. As far as I know, the details on this form are true and accurate. I understand that to provide false information on this form is an offence. I confirm that I am a British, Irish, other European Union or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Qualifying Commonwealth citizens are those who have leave to enter or remain in the UK or do not require such leave. If section 2 applies: I am resident in Scotland or would be resident in Scotland if I or my spouse or civil partner were not serving in the Armed Forces. If section 2A applies: I am resident in Scotland or would be resident in Scotland if my parent or guardian, or their spouse or civil partner, were not serving in the Armed Forces. Please tick if you are the spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces. Please tick if you will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 and your parent or guardian is entitled to be registered as a service voter. Signature Today s date

10 Voting by post How do I apply to vote by post? 1 Fill in the postal vote application form opposite (Form 3). 2 Make sure you give your date of birth and signature. You need to fill in every section, even if you have already given the information on your Service Voter registration form. 3 Send your completed application form to the Electoral Registration Office in the area where you are registering as soon as possible. You can find the address at 4 You must return your postal vote application form by 5pm, 11 working days before an election or referendum. Be aware that if you are not already registered to vote, your application to register must have reached the Electoral Registration Officer by midnight, 12 working days before the poll. If in doubt, speak to your Unit Registration Officer. What happens after I have applied to vote by post? When an election or referendum is going to be held, your ballot paper will be sent to you in the post. If it has not arrived 4 working days before the poll, contact the Elections Office in the area where you are registered for a replacement ballot paper. You can find contact details on When you receive your ballot paper, you need to mark your vote, and then sign and give your date of birth on the postal voting statement. These will be checked against your original application to ensure the security of your vote. Make sure you return your postal vote so that it arrives by close of poll on polling day, otherwise it will not be counted. A Freepost envelope is included in your postal ballot pack. But, if you are sending it from overseas, you will need to use the BFPO service (free of charge) or pay the postage. If it is too late to post your postal vote back and you are in the area where you are registered, you can hand it in on polling day. Contact your local Elections Office for more details about this. You can find the contact details at

11 3 Application to vote by post for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also apply to vote by post at the Scottish independence referendum by completing this form - England, Wales and Scotland Only one person can apply to vote by post using this form. Please write in black ink and use BLOCK LETTERS. When you have filled in every section and signed the form yourself, send it to your local electoral registration office. You can get the address at 1 About you Surname First names (in full) 3 Address for ballot paper Please send my ballot paper to: Address The address where you are registered to vote in the UK. Daytime telephone or mobile number (optional) (including country code) 4 Your date of birth and declaration Declaration: As far as I know, the details on this form are true and accurate. I understand that to provide false information on this form is an offence. Date of birth: Please write your date of birth DD MM YYYY in the black boxes below, using black ink. address (optional) 2 How long do you want a postal vote for? I want to vote by post (tick one box only): at all elections and referendums until further notice (permanent postal vote) Signature: Sign below, keeping within the grey border. at the elections or referendum to be held on at all elections and referendums for the period from to If you are unable to sign this form, please contact your Electoral Registration Officer. Today s 5 Date date of application Today s date

12 Voting by proxy How do I apply to vote by proxy? (for England, Wales and Scotland but excluding the Scottish Independence Referendum) 1 Ask someone if they are willing and able to be your proxy and vote on your behalf. Please note that a person can only be the proxy for close relatives and up to two other people at the same poll. The person does not need to be registered, but must be eligible to vote in the poll. 2 Fill in the proxy vote application form overleaf (Form 4). If you are applying for a proxy vote for a particular poll, your application does not need to be supported by your employer. However, your application will need a supporting declaration from your employer (Form 4A) if you are applying for a permanent proxy vote or would like to vote by proxy for a fixed period. 3 Make sure you give your date of birth and signature. You need to fill in every section, even if you have already given the information on your Service Voter registration form. 4 Send your completed application form to the Electoral Registration Office in the area where you are registering as soon as possible. You can find the address at 5 You must return your proxy vote application form by 5pm, 6 working days before the poll. But be aware that if you are not already registered to vote, your application to register must have reached the Electoral Registration Officer by midnight, 12 working days before the poll. 6 If you miss the deadline for applying to vote by proxy you can still apply for an emergency proxy in a limited number of circumstances up until 5pm on polling day. Contact your Electoral Registration Office in the area in which you have registered or are registering for advice. You can find the address at If in doubt, speak to your Unit Registration Officer. How do I apply to vote by proxy? (for the Scottish Independence Referendum) Ask someone if they are willing and able to be your proxy and vote on your behalf. Please note that a person can only be the proxy for close relatives and up to two other people at the referendum. The person does not need to be registered to vote in the poll but must be 16 or over on the day of the poll and must be a British, Irish, other European Union or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Fill in the proxy vote application form over the page. You must state the reason why you can t vote in person. Make sure you give your date of birth and signature. You need to fill in every section, even if you have already given the information on your Service Voter registration form. Send your completed application form to the Electoral Registration Office in the area where you are registering or have registered as soon as possible. You can find the address at You must return your proxy vote application form by 5pm, 3 September But be aware that if you are not already registered to vote, your application to register must have reached the Electoral Registration Officer by midnight 2 September 2014.

13 6 If you miss the deadline to apply for an ordinary proxy you can still apply for an emergency proxy in certain circumstances up until 5pm on polling day. This includes a medical condition arising after the deadline, or if your service means you are unable to go to the polling station and you only become aware of this fact after the deadline. This form is just for applications made before 5pm on 3 September You'll need to get another form if applying after that time by contacting the Electoral Registration Officer. If in doubt, speak to your Unit Registration Officer. What happens after I have applied to vote by proxy? (in GB) Your proxy must go to your polling station to vote. If they cannot get to the polling station, they can vote for you by post. They must apply to do this by 5pm, 11 working days before polling day. The Electoral Registration Office in the area where you are registered can give you more details about this. You can find the address at Your proxy will be sent a proxy poll card telling them where and when to vote. You should tell your proxy how you want them to vote on your behalf, for example, which candidate, party or outcome. If it turns out that you are able to go to the polling station on polling day, you can vote in person as long as your proxy has not already done so or has not applied to vote for you by post.

14 4 Application to vote by proxy for a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, their spouse or civil partner. Children of service voters who will be 16 or 17 on 18 September 2014 may also apply to vote by proxy at the Scottish independence referendum by completing this form - England, Wales and Scotland Only one person can apply to vote by proxy using this form. Please write in black ink and use BLOCK LETTERS. When you have filled in every section and signed the form yourself, send it to your local electoral registration office. You can get the address at 1 About you Surname First names (in full) Correspondence address or BFPO Daytime telephone or mobile number (optional) (including country code) until further notice (while I am registered as a Service Voter) at all elections and referendums (requires an attestation - see overleaf) for all elections or referendums held in the period (requires an attestation - see overleaf) 5 from to The reason you can t vote in person Please give the reason you are unable to vote in person. address (optional) 2 UK registration address Please give your full UK registration address: 3 About your proxy Full name Relationship to you (if any) 6 Your date of birth and declaration Declaration: I have asked the person I have named as my proxy and confirm that he/she is willing and able to be appointed to vote on my behalf. As far as I know, the details on this form are true and accurate. I understand that to provide false information on this form is an offence. Date of birth: Please write your date of birth DD MM YYYY in the black boxes below, using black ink. Signature: Sign below, keeping within the grey border. Full address 4 How long do you want a proxy vote for? I want to vote by proxy (tick one box only): for the elections or referendum to be held on If you are unable to sign this form, please contact your Electoral Registration Officer. Today s 7 Date date of application Today s date

15 4A Attestation in support of a proxy application for a definite or indefinite period. Only fill in this form if you are applying for a permanent proxy or for a proxy for a fixed period. Please write in black ink and use BLOCK LETTERS. When every section is complete and both you and the person supporting the application have signed the form, send it to your local electoral registration office. You can get the address at 1 Why do you want a proxy vote? A. I am / my spouse or civil partner (delete as applicable) is employed by (give employer s name and address): B. As (give job title): 3A Employer s declaration for a member of the Armed Forces I am over 18 years of age. I know the person named at C. I confirm that to the best of my knowledge and belief, the applicant s statements at A-D are true. Signature Today s date C. Name of the member of the Armed Forces: D. I am not able to go to the polling station on polling day because: 3B Employer s declaration for the spouse/civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces I am over 18 years of age. I know the person named at C. I confirm that to the best of my knowledge and belief, the applicant s statements at A-C are true. 2 Support for this application Please ask your employer to give their name, address and rank. Employer s full name: Signature Today s date Employer s address: Employer s rank:

16 Arrangements for personnel from Northern Ireland The registration forms for Service personnel and their families from Northern Ireland are different to those for the rest of the UK. If you are from Northern Ireland and based in Northern Ireland and are unlikely to move you may register as an ordinary voter using the standard Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) registration form. If you are from Northern Ireland and based overseas you should register as a Service Voter, using the EONI Service Voter registration form. You can obtain these forms by contacting EONI using the details below. The form should be returned to your local Area Electoral Office, whose details can be found on the EONI website. Should you have any questions regarding electoral registration in Northern Ireland, you should contact EONI using the details below: Telephone: (freephone) or info@eoni.org.uk Web: More information If you have any questions about registering to vote or voting by post or proxy, contact your Unit Registration Officer or the Electoral Registration Office in the area where you are registering. Your Electoral Registration Office is the office responsible for the UK address where you are registering to vote. In England and Wales, the Electoral Registration Office is based at your local council. In Scotland, it may be a separate office. For contact details, visit This booklet does not apply to Northern Ireland. REGISTER NOW The Electoral Commission 2014 EC 29.2