Q : How can I get my name added to the Electoral Register?
A: You can apply to get your name added to the Electoral Register at any time. A registration form can be obtained from the Electoral Registration Office (contact details below).
A form can also be downloaded from the Scottish Assessors Association website, the Electoral Commission’s website or Glasgow City Council’s website.
Electoral Registration Office
Richmond Exchange
20 Cadogan Street
Glasgow
G2 7LP
phone: 0141 287 4444
Q : How can I make sure I'm on the Electoral register (voters' roll) at my new house?
A : You can inspect the Register at the offices of the Electoral Registration Officer (contact details above). Alternatively you can phone the Electoral Registration Office.
If you are not on the register, you can apply to have your name added to the Electoral Register at any time. You can get a registration form from the Electoral Registration Office.
Alternatively you can phone the Electoral Registration Officer who will send you the appropriate form. A form can also be downloaded from the Scottish Assessors Association website, the Electoral Commission’s website or Glasgow City Council’s website.
Q : What age do I have to be to register to vote?
A: You must be 18 years of age to be allowed to vote. However, if you are 16 or 17 years old you can register now on the date of your 18th birthday you will automatically be eligible for voting.
Q: Who is eligible to be registered to vote?
A: British Citizens, Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the Republic of Ireland are entitled to vote. Citizens of Member States of the European Community are entitled to register and will be eligible to vote at Local Elections and Scottish Parliamentary Elections If they also complete a supplementary registration form they can vote in European Parliamentary Elections in this country.
Q: How can I obtain a postal vote?
A: You need to complete a Postal Vote Application form to apply to vote by post. You can get an application form from the Electoral Registration Office (contact details below). You can also phone the Electoral Registration Office who will send you the appropriate form or download a form from the Scottish Assessors Association website, the Electoral Commission’s website or Glasgow City Council’s website.
Electoral Registration Office
Richmond Exchange
20 Cadogan Street
Glasgow
G2 7LP
phone: 0141 287 4444
Q: How can I vote in UK elections if I live outside the UK?
A: If you are a British Citizen living abroad it is possible to register to vote. However, certain conditions apply. You must previously have resided in the UK and your name must have appeared on the Electoral Register within the past 15 years. The registration will need to be renewed annually and, if accepted, you will be entitled to vote only at UK Parliamentary Elections and European Parliamentary Elections.
Please contact the Electoral Registration Officer using the contact details below for more information.
Electoral Registration Office
Richmond Exchange
20 Cadogan Street
Glasgow
G2 7LP
phone: 0141 287 4444
Q: If I lose my poll card, can I still vote?
A: Yes, you will still be able to vote if you have lost your polling card. Showing your poll card at the Polling Station does, however, help the staff on duty find your entry on the Electoral Register more quickly.
Q: I don’t vote/I’m not interested in politics.
A: Voting is not compulsory but the law provides that your name must appear on the Register of Electors.
Q: I already pay my council tax/the council already know who lives here.
A: Even if you pay council tax you are not automatically registered to vote. There are other things, such as nationality, which determine whether someone is eligible to register to vote. That type of information is not captured by council tax.
Q: I’m not British. I can’t vote here.
A : To be eligible to register, a person must be:
aged 16 years or over (but you cannot vote until your eighteenth birthday), and
a British, Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
Citizens of EU countries other than the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta cannot vote in UK Parliamentary general elections, and must fill in a separate form to vote in European parliamentary elections in this country.
Q: My safety is at risk, and I do not wish to have my name and address appear on the register.
A: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduces the ability to register anonymously. Anyone who does not wish their name to appear on the register can apply to their Electoral Registration Officer to be registered anonymously. Applicants need documentary evidence of a Court Order or attestation from certain qualified persons to support their application.
If you are registered anonymously, instead of your name and address appearing on the electoral register a code will be added to the end of the section of the register for your polling district. You should receive polling cards as usual.
Please contact the Electoral Registration Officer using the contact details below for more information.
Electoral Registration Office
Richmond Exchange
20 Cadogan Street
Glasgow
G2 7LP
phone: 0141 287 4444