Register to vote

Contents

1. How to register
2. Who can register
3. Reasons to register
4. Voting by post
5. Check if you're already registered to vote
6. When your details will be included on the Electoral Register

How to register to vote

For the election on 6 May 2021, you must register to vote by by Monday 19 April 2021.

More about the Local Government and Police and Crime Commissioner Elections - 6 May 2021.

If you do not have access to the internet, phone us on 0191 427 7000. We can complete your application over the phone.

Information about how we handle your personal data is available in the Council's Privacy Notice - Electoral Services.

Who can register to vote

You can register to vote in the UK if you are:

• a resident (usually live) in the UK, and
• aged 16 or over (but you will not be able to vote until you are 18)

You must also be either:

• a British, Irish or European Union citizen, or
• a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to remain in the UK or who does not require leave to remain in the UK

Reasons to register to vote

To be able to vote in elections, you must be registered.

If you aren't registered to vote, you won't have the chance to have a say on who represents you.

Some people also register to vote because they want to apply for credit. Credit reference agencies use the Electoral Register to confirm where someone lives when they apply for credit to counteract fraud.

If you don't register to vote, you won't have a say at future elections and referendums. If you don't respond to requests for information from the Electoral Registration Office you could be at risk of getting fined £80.

Voting by post

Applying for a postal vote will give you the confidence of being able to take part in the 2021 elections, no matter what the situation with coronavirus.

To vote by post in the election on 6 May 2021, you must get your postal vote application form to us by 5pm on Tuesday 20 April 2021.

However, if you want to vote by post, please apply as soon as possible. This will make sure your application is processed early, and means we can send the postal votes out more quickly once the candidates for the elections are confirmed.

See how to apply for a postal vote.

Check if you're already registered to vote

To check if you are already registered, you can contact the Elections Office: 

The Elections Office
Town Hall and Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields
Tyne and Wear
NE33 2RL

Phone: 0191 424 7230
Email: elections@southtyneside.gov.uk

When your details will be included on the Electoral Register

The following table gives the dates when you will be included on the register of electors depending when we receive your application.

There are no updates to the register of electors during the months of October and November as the council has to carry out an annual canvass to update the register.  The revised register of electors is published on 1 December each year.

Using information received from the public, Registration Officers keep two registers - the Electoral Register and the Open Register (also known as the Edited Register). For more information see Electoral registers.