Parish and town councils within the Dorset Council area - election on 2 May 2024 - information for voters

Watch a short video to find out about how the changes in the Election Act 2022 will affect the way you vote.  More information is available below.

Register to vote

Your details must be included on the electoral register if you want to vote in elections, polls and referendums. Please see the table below for the registration deadline for this election.  

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

To check if you are registered to vote, please contact us.

You can register to vote on Gov.uk.

Your poll card

If you are registered to vote, you will be sent a poll card a few weeks before the election which will tell you when the election is due to take place and how you can vote. 

If you already have a postal vote in place, you will be sent a postal poll card a few weeks before the election which will tell you when the election is due to take place and give details of your postal voting arrangements. 

If you already have a proxy vote in place, you will be sent a proxy poll card a few weeks before the election which will tell you when the election is due to take place and give details of your proxy voting arrangements.  Your nominated proxy voter will also be sent a proxy poll card, telling them how to vote on your behalf.  

Voting at a polling station

You do not need to take your poll card with you to the polling station to vote, unless you are a registered anonymous voter, but you must bring photo ID. 

Find out more about what photo ID you can bring and how to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate if you don't have any of the accepted forms of ID. 

Registered anonymous voters must also bring an Anonymous Elector's Document to the polling station. 

Find out more about registering to vote anonymously and the Anonymous Elector's Document. 

If you are registered as an anonymous voter and want to vote at your local polling station but do not have an Anonymous Elector's Document or haven't applied for one, please contact us.

Your poll card will give the address of your polling station but for a map or directions you can use the Democracy Club's polling station finder.

Read more about voting at a polling station.

Voting by post or proxy 

If you are unable to get to your polling station on polling day, you can apply to vote by post or proxy instead.  Please see the table below for the deadlines for applying to vote by post or proxy for this election.  

Please note that if you vote by proxy, your nominated proxy will need to go to your local polling station and take their own photo ID.  If they do not have photo ID, they can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.  

Apply online to vote by post or download an application form. 

Apply online to vote by proxy or download an application form. 

If you need a paper application form sent to you, please contact us.

If you are not applying online to vote by post or proxy, your completed application form should be sent to Electoral Services and must be received by us by the relevant deadline below (please note: you can email us a scan or photo of your completed form).

Voters with a disability 

Read about support available for voters with a disability.  

Key dates for this election