How to vote

How to vote in an election or referendum, including how to vote in person, by post and by proxy, voter ID and polling stations.

Vote by post

You can register to vote by post in UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament and local elections. The registration process differs depending on the election. 

Apply for a postal vote – UK Parliamentary elections

You can apply to vote in UK Parliamentary elections by post on the GOV.UK website.

Apply for a postal vote – GOV.UK

You must:

  • include your National Insurance number
  • renew your application every 3 years

Apply by post

You can also apply for a postal vote by downloading an application form from the Electoral Commission website.

Apply for a postal vote by post – Electoral Commission 

Return your form to:

Electoral Registration Officer
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Militia House
English Street
Dumfries
DG1 2HR

Apply for a postal vote – Scottish Parliamentary and local council elections

To apply to vote by post in a Scottish Parliamentary or local council election, you need to download an application form from the Electoral Commission website. You do not need to include your National Insurance number on the form.

Apply for a postal vote by post – Electoral Commission 

Return your form to:

Electoral Registration Officer
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Militia House
English Street
Dumfries
DG1 2HR

For urgent applications, you can email a scanned copy of the application form to:

Email: ero@dumgal.gov.uk 

We cannot accept photographs of application forms.

How to vote by post after you are registered

If you're registered for a postal vote, you'll receive a postal ballot pack with full instructions before an election or referendum.

We can send postal ballot packs to addresses anywhere in the world. If you live outside the UK, you may want to consider applying to vote by proxy.

For more information go to postal voting – Electoral Commission.