voting

Page last updated:
22 Mar 2024

Everyone is responsible for registering themselves; registering to vote is quick, easy and secure.

You’ll need to fill in your name, address, date of birth and a few other details including your National Insurance number, which can be found on your National Insurance card, or in official paperwork such as payslips, or letters about benefits or tax credits.

You can register both your university address and your home address on the electoral roll at the same time, which means you can choose either location to cast your vote in a General Election. It is important to note that you can't vote twice in a General Election as you would be committing a criminal offence. However, you can vote in local government elections at home and at your term-time address if both are registered and as long as they are in different local government areas.

May 2024 Local elections

Local elections are taking place in 107 local authorities across England. Both the Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) Mayoral elections will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024.

The deadline to register to vote in the local elections in England is 11.59pm on Tuesday 16 April.

Voter ID

All voters are required to show photographic identification (photo ID) at polling stations before they are given a ballot paper. You are not required to provide photo ID for postal voting.

Acceptable forms of photo ID include:

  • Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
  • Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or an EEA state

You will only need to show one form of photo ID and it needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. You can still use your photo ID if it's out of date, as long as it looks like you and the name on your ID is the same name you used to register to vote. A full list of acceptable forms of photo ID can be found here.

If you don't have an accepted form of photo ID you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate but remember, you need to register to vote before applying for a Voter Authority Certificate.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for the May elections is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

other links
Aerial photo of the Leeds City Centre
Image of students taking handwritten notes in a lecture theatre

Looking for something else?

There's lots of helpful advice and guidance on our student information pages. Try searching if you know what you're looking for or if you're not sure where to go, you can browse our A-Z.