The following elections will be taking place on Thursday 4 May 2023. Except for the local elections in Northern Ireland which have been deferred to 18 May, to avoid a clash with the King’s Coronation on 6 May:
- Local government principal area elections (i.e. district, borough, county borough and
- unity authority elections)
- Parish council elections
- Local authority mayoral elections in England
- Northern Ireland (18 May 2023) local elections
There is a possibility of Stormont Assembly elections taking place in Northern Ireland later in the year. Advice will be circulated locally for personnel in due course.
Details of exactly which elections are taking place in your area are available from:
www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information
Registration Deadlines
You are encouraged to register to vote as early as possible, particularly if you are also applying for a postal vote. This will maximise the time available to resolve any issues with your application, and for your postal ballot to reach you and be returned in time for counting. Registration deadlines are different for different elections. The following
deadlines apply this year:
- Deadline to register to vote – Monday 17 April.
- Deadline to apply to vote by post – 5pm, Tuesday 18 April
- Deadline for a proxy voter to apply to vote by post – 5pm, Tuesday 18 April.
- Deadline to apply to vote by proxy – 5pm, Tuesday 25 April.
In addition to the 2023 election timelines detailed in paragraph 10, above, British Forces Post Office (BFPO) have issued a number of additional deadlines and key dates which take into consideration any industrial action by UK postal workers and the continued impact worldwide of Covid-19 and the logistic realities of Ballot Paper distribution across the globe. Personnel serving overseas who have requested a postal vote are advised to note the
following timings:
- Earliest date Ballot Papers are anticipated to arrive at BFPO from Electoral
- Registration Officers for onward distribution overseas – Wednesday 5 April.
- Target date for latest delivery of Ballot Papers to individuals – Wednesday 19 April.
- Latest recommended posting date for Ballot Papers from a BFPO - Tuesday 25 April.
- Latest recommended posting date for Ballot Papers to be returned and in the UK postal system – Wednesday 4 May.
Registration Options
All your registration options (Service voter, Proxy voter, in person etc) are detailed on the Electoral Commission Website.
Once registered, if you are planning to cast your vote in person, you should note that this will be the first year where PHOTO ID is required to vote. You must
take a valid photo ID with you to the Polling Station when you vote. A list of valid IDs (this includes MOD Form 90) can be found online here: