Key dates and deadlines for the elections taking place on Thursday 4 May, 2023
- Register to vote - the last day to register to vote - Monday 17 April, 2023
- The deadline to apply for a postal vote - 5pm on Tuesday 18 April, 2023
- The deadline to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf - 5pm on Tuesday 25 April, 2023
- The deadline to appoint an emergency proxy to vote on your behalf on grounds of medical / disability emergency or reason of employment - 5pm on Thursday 4 May 2023
The statutory timetable for the above elections is available from the Electoral Commission.
Further information about the May 2023 elections can be found on the forthcoming elections page.
Voting in person
You can vote in person at your allocated polling station. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. If there is a queue you will still be able to vote as long as you joined the queue before 10pm.
Poll cards are delivered shortly before an Election. Each member of the household who is eligible to vote should receive a poll card which informs them of the date of the election, where their polling station is and the hours of poll.
You do not need to take the poll card with you to be able to vote, but you must have photo ID. You can find the accepted form of photo ID on the Voter ID page.
- On arrival at your designated polling station, the Presiding Officer will ask you to show your photo ID, confirm your name and address. Provided this is all okay, you will be issued with a ballot paper for the election(s) you are entitled to vote in.
- You should take the ballot paper(s) to the voting booth and mark with a 'X' the candidate(s) you wish to vote for in accordance with the instructions on the ballot paper.
- Fold the ballot paper(s) and deposit in the ballot box as indicated.
Covid-19 Information
Prevailing Covid-secure arrangements will apply at polling stations. This may include limits to how many people are allowed inside the polling station at a time.
- Please observe any prevailing guidance.
- You are welcome to take your own pen or pencil with you if you would like to. Clean pencils will be available.
- You can still ask staff for help if you need it.
If you cannot or do not want to go to the polling station, you can apply to vote by post or nominate someone to act as your proxy.
Voting by post
You can apply for a postal vote at any time. To vote by post, you need to complete a postal vote application form.
Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed you can either:
- email a scanned image of the completed form or a clear photograph, showing a full page, to electionsoffice@cannockchasedc.gov.uk or
- post the completed form to: Elections Office, Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre, Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 1BG
For the elections on 4 May, 2023, we must receive your completed postal vote application no later than 5pm on Tuesday, 18 April, 2023.
The date the Postal Votes are dispatched varies from election to election and if you are applying for a Postal Vote because you are going away, we strongly advise you to contact the office early to clarify dates.
When a postal vote has been posted to you, you cannot vote in person at a polling station.
You can choose on the application form to vote at a one-off election or vote by post on a permanent basis.
If you move house you must notify the Elections Office as soon as possible or you won’t receive your postal vote at your new address.
Remember to apply for your postal vote as soon as you can. If there is an election during any year there will be a deadline date for new applications, this is normally 11 working days before an election. This deadline date will also apply to changes / cancellation of / amended or redirected postal vote papers.
You must be able to sign your name to vote by post. If you are unable to sign you need to request a Postal Vote Waiver application. Power of attorney does not apply to postal voting.
To prevent fraudulent voting, all postal votes are subject to signature checking. When you make an application to vote by post you will be asked to provide a specimen signature and your date of birth. This information will be required on a security statement on all returned ballot papers and will be checked against our records. If someone who is not the elector signs a postal vote statement, it will be rejected, even if that person has power of attorney.
Voting by proxy (someone voting on your behalf)
If you will be away from home and will not be able vote in person or be able to receive your postal ballot paper you may prefer to appoint someone on your behalf using a Proxy Vote. This person does not need to be a relative, just someone you know and trust. That person will receive a letter to hand into your polling station and that will enable them to vote on your behalf.
Please note a proxy cannot vote for more than two people at any one election, unless they are a close relative and they must be eligible to vote in that type of election.
More information about proxy voting is available on GOV.UK (Voting by Proxy)
There are different application forms depending on whether you want to nominate a proxy for a specific election; longer term; or as a result of an emergency.
Links to the different proxy forms can also be found on GOV.UK (Proxy Voting application forms)
Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed you can either :
- email a scanned image of the completed form or a clear photograph, showing a full page, to electionsoffice@cannockchasedc.gov.uk ; or
- post the completed form to: Elections Office, Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre, Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 1BG
The deadline to apply to vote by proxy is normally 6 working days before an election.
For the elections on 4 May, 2023, we must receive your completed proxy vote application no later than 5pm on Tuesday, 25 April, 2023.
Please note that the deadline for a postal-proxy (where your appointed proxy wishes to vote by post) is Tuesday 18 April, 2023.
Emergency proxy vote
In certain circumstances, where you have an emergency that means you cannot vote in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy.
This must be something that you weren't aware of before the normal proxy vote deadline.
The form you need to complete depends on your reason for needing an emergency proxy vote.
Emergency proxy application (medical / disability)
Emergency proxy application (employment)
Once you have completed the relevant form and made sure you have signed it you can either :
- email a scanned image of the completed form or a clear photograph, showing a full page, to electionsoffice@cannockchasedc.gov.uk ; or
- post the completed form to: Elections Office, Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre, Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 1BG
Your completed emergency proxy application must be received by us no later than 5pm on polling day.
If you are not sure if you have a postal vote or proxy vote already, contact the Electoral Services Office.
Overseas Voters - British Citizens living overseas
If you are a British citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter. As long as you were registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, you can register to vote from overseas. If you were too young to register when you left the UK, your parent or guardian must have been registered.
Last Updated: 10/02/2023