Countdown to general election in July

Dorset is gearing up for the general election on July 4 and if you’re unsure about voter registration, postal and proxy votes, and voter ID, Dorset Council have all the information you need on the website.

Writs have been delivered to all local authorities across the UK representing the 650 constituencies at Westminster.

The election includes Members of Parliament for the five UK Parliamentary constituencies covering the Dorset Council area which are:

• Christchurch
• Mid Dorset and North Poole
• North Dorset
• South Dorset
• West Dorset

Each constituency is represented by one Member of Parliament.

The candidates nominated are published on our website.

We do not provide statements or election material about candidates standing for elections. If you want to find more about each candidate, you can visit Who can I vote for?

You can also use the Who can I vote for? lookup to find out which constituency you are in.

You need to be registered in order to vote. If you aren't registered to vote visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Register before midnight on 18 June 2024 to vote on 4 July 2024.

You need photo ID to vote at polling stations:

Accepted forms of ID include a passport, driver’s licence, and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person's bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card.

You can find a full list of acceptable photo ID on GOV.UK. 

Voters will be able to use expired photo ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for a free photographic ID online or by completing a paper form by 5pm on Wednesday, June 26.  You can call the Elections Team on 01305 838299 if you would like a paper form.

Nearly 300,000 poll cards were dispatched to registered voters last week and the council is keen to ensure that anyone entitled to vote does not miss out.  Your polling station will be shown on your poll card.

If you have applied to vote by post, you will receive a ballot paper in the post with a form asking for your signature and your date of birth.  You don’t need a photo ID to vote by post.

Important dates for voters:

18 June 11:59pm – Registration deadline. If you are not registered to vote or have recently moved, you should register to vote online or contact us for a paper form as soon as possible.

If you are already registered to vote at your current address, you do not need to register again.

19 June 5pm – Postal vote application deadline. You can apply for postal votes online or download a paper form from the website, or Dorset Council can post a form to you on request.

26 June 5pm – Proxy vote application deadline. You can apply for some types of proxy votes online or download a paper form from the website, or we can post a form to you on request.

26 June 5pm – Voter Authority Certificate application deadline. All voters at a polling station will need to show an accepted form of photographic identification (photo ID) in order to be able to cast their vote.  If you don’t have one, you can apply online for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

4 July – Election Day. Polling stations open from 7am and close at 10pm.

Jonathan Mair, Director of Legal and Democratic at Dorset Council, said:

“It’s important that residents in Dorset make sure they’re election ready.

“We want everyone to be able to exercise their right to vote and we urge people to remember to take their photo ID with them when they go to their polling station, or if they don’t have one, apply now for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

“This election is an opportunity to have your say on who will represent you at a national level.

“If you’re in doubt about whether you need to register to vote or have questions about how to apply for a postal or proxy vote, or free ID, you can contact the electoral services team.”

Email:

elections@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Tel: 01305 838299