Register to vote

The Register of Electors is a list of everyone who is registered to vote and shows what elections and referendums they can vote in. Not everyone whose name appears on the Register has the right to vote at all elections and referendums.

The electoral register is published annually on 1 December and monthly updates are normally published on the first of each month. But where the first of the month falls on a weekend or a public holiday the register will be published on the next working day after the weekend or the public holiday.

The Electoral Registration Officer keeps two registers – the electoral register and the open register (also known as the edited register).

The Electoral Register

The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It may be shared with Electoral Registration Officers for other areas for the purpose of verifying the accuracy of electoral registers.

It may also be shared with the Registrar General of Births Deaths and Marriages for the purposes of:

(a) compiling and publishing statistical information with respect to the number and conditions of the population in the interval between one census and another.

(b) improving the quality and accuracy of future Censuses.

(c) compiling non-disclosive statistics on number of individuals who have not registered to vote.

(d) producing electoral registration statistics.

It is also used for other limited purposes set out in the law, such as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service and checking credit applications.

The open register is an extract of the electoral register but isn’t used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it’s used by businesses and charities to confirm names and addresses. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register doesn’t affect your right to vote.

If you wish to change your open register choice, please complete the form linked below. We will write to you once we’ve changed your open register status. The letter will confirm the change we’ve made and will tell you when a new version of the register, reflecting your request, will be published.

If you have received a poll card for an upcoming election or referendum and your circumstances have not changed, you will be on the register for that election or referendum and do not need to re-register.

Otherwise, you will need to either view the Electoral Register at one of the places detailed below or contact the Electoral Registration office directly. The Register of Electors is not published online.

Please note that we can only provide details relevant to you - details of other electors cannot be disclosed.

If you’ve opted out of the open register, we can’t confirm your details over the phone.

You can view a current copy of the electoral register, under supervision at:

• Your local ON Fife library (you can find your nearest library here)
• Electoral Registration Office, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes
• Fife Council Local Services Centres

If you can’t see your name on the register, for example, if you’ve recently moved house, you can register to vote on the Government's website. You must provide your name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. Providing this information makes the registration process more secure.

If you are not able to attend a polling station on the day of an election or referendum, you may apply in advance to vote by post or proxy (where someone you trust votes on your behalf). However, to vote by post or proxy you will have to first be registered as will the person you ask to vote on your behalf. More information is contained below in the sections about ‘Voting by post’ and ‘Somebody voting on your behalf’.

It is possible to vote by post in an election. However, to vote by post you will have to be registered at your current address. If you apply to vote by post you will receive a postal pack (ballot paper, postal voting statement and return envelopes) at the address you have requested.

If you have a postal vote you will not be able to vote in person at a polling station. However, it is possible to hand your completed postal pack into a polling station within the Fife Council area if you are unable to post it in time.

If your circumstances change, for example, if you move house or change your name, your previous postal vote will no longer be valid. You will need to re-apply for a postal vote at your new address – this can be done at the same time as you register.

Please note that at elections, postal votes cannot be issued immediately. Due to production deadlines, there will be a delay in issuing postal packs. Additionally, the mail service to and from overseas countries cannot always be guaranteed and you should seek advice at the time as to whether or not it is practical for a postal vote to be sent and returned before election day or whether you would be better arranging a proxy vote for the election.

If you can't vote in person, you can apply to vote by proxy. However, to vote by proxy you, and the person you ask to vote on your behalf, will have to be registered before a proxy application can be approved. Anyone can be your proxy as long as they are eligible to vote in the election and are willing to vote on your behalf.

You have to provide a reason for needing a proxy vote.

For example:

• you are going away on holiday
• you have a physical condition that prevents you from getting to the polling place
• the kind of work you do means you can't get to the polling station
• you have to attend an educational course
• you are a Crown Servant or a member of Her Majesty's Armed force.

To apply for a proxy vote please complete the correct form on the Government's website. Return it to the Electoral Registration Team.

Even if you have a proxy vote, you will be able to vote in person if you arrive to vote before your proxy.

If your circumstances change, for example if you move house or change your name, your previous proxy vote will no longer be valid. You will need to re-apply for a proxy vote at your new address – this can be done at the same time as you register.

You will receive a letter from the Electoral Registration Officer confirming your registration and your method of voting. You will subsequently receive a poll card for any election called whilst you remain registered at that address.

If you have chosen to vote at a polling station, you will receive a poll card before the election telling you where and when to vote. The polling station will be a public building (e.g. hall or community centre). The poll card is for your information only; you do not need to take it to the polling station in order to vote, although it will help if you do.

Each year the Electoral Registration Officer is required by law to contact each household in the registration area to check if there have been any changes.

We will contact every household in Fife between July and September. This year, we are using email as an alternative to letters where possible. Where householders have supplied their email addresses to us, we will send them an email with instructions on how to respond to the canvass process. Everyone else will still receive a letter and we will also follow up with those people who have not responded to the email with a letter

Most households will only need to respond to communications (by email or paper form) if there have been any changes in the household. However, a proportion will be asked to reply even if there have been no changes. The communication you receive will tell you what you need to do.

Including a person’s name in a response to the canvass does not add that person to the register automatically. They will need to register to vote separately.

They will receive an Invitation to Register which they must complete and return (or go to the Government online registration site) to apply to register to vote.