Welcome to your vote week cover 2025

Why is voting important?

Voting gives you the opportunity to select a candidate that you feel would be best to represent your local electoral area. The elected member will negotiate important matters and voice opinions of residents that will help to make important decisions to improve their elected area and subsequently the lives of residents like you.

Our aim:

We want to promote voting and democracy to residents of all ages within Tendring, this year we are focusing on children and teenagers. We are aiming to increase the number of people who are registered to vote and the number of voters at each election which will help to better voice opinions of everyone in our area.

Who can register to vote in England?

To register to vote, you must be aged 16 or over (but you can’t vote until you’re 18 years old**), and one of the following:

• a UK or Irish citizen
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK
• a qualifying EU citizen living in the UK

**The Labour Government have proposed changes to lower the voting age to 16 years old (previously 18 years old) which will also impact the age in which people can register to vote.

More information about eligibility to register to vote in England can be found: Register to vote | Electoral Commission

If you are registered to vote and would like to find out which elections you are entitled to vote in, more information can be found on this page: Which elections you can vote in | Electoral Commission

Ways to vote

There are a few ways in which you can vote at an election even if you are unable to attend your local polling station on the day of poll. The main methods of voting include:

• Voting at the polling station: Ahead of polling day, you should receive a poll card by post which will provide you with details on how and where to vote. If you do not receive this, do not worry, you can still vote by visiting your local polling station between 7am and 10pm with a valid form of photographic identification. The polling station staff will ask you for your name and address and issue you with your ballot paper.

If you are unable to vote in-person, there are two options for absent voting

• Postal Voting: you may decide to vote by post which will mean that your ballot paper will be posted to you ahead of polling day. You will need to provide your signature and date of birth for verification purposes and mark your ballot paper with your vote before enclosing in the return envelope and posting back to us.
• Proxy Voting: if a postal vote does not suit your situation, you may apply to vote by proxy instead. Voting by proxy means that you are choosing someone you trust to vote on your behalf. When applying you vote by proxy, you will have to provide details of the person you have chosen. The selected proxy will then have to visit your local polling station on the day of poll to cast your vote.

Should you with to apply for either of the absent voting options above, please contact the elections office using the details at the bottom of this page. Further information regarding absent voting can be found: Ways to vote | Electoral Commission

You can find out your local polling station here: Find your polling station | Where Do I Vote?

For youth organisations that are interested in promoting the importance of voting, you can find additional information and resources: Young Voters