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.
Voting by post
You can apply for a postal vote at any time. You must be registered to vote in the UK before you can apply.
To vote by post, you need to either:
Go online and complete a postal vote application. You will need your National Insurance number or other identity documents (e.g., a passport), and you will also need to upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.
or
- 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
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 on a specific date, or for a specific period, or 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. They will need to take their own photo ID with them to vote.
Please note a proxy cannot vote for more than four people at any one election. No more than two of those people can be domestic electors. Domestic electors are voters who are neither overseas voters nor service voters, 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.
To vote by proxy you can either:
Go online and apply for a proxy vote. You will need your National Insurance number or any other identity document (e.g., a birth certificate); the address where your proxy is registered to vote, and contact details for your proxy.
or
- Complete a proxy vote application form. Links to the different proxy forms can 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.
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 (N.B. You cannot apply for an emergency proxy using the online service).
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)
Emergency proxy application due to availability of your photo ID
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.
Postal Vote Application Form
Last Updated: 05/12/2023