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You can register to vote if you:

  • are aged 16 years or over, but you can only vote if you're over 18 years of age
  • live at an address in Bury
  • are a British Citizen
  • are an Irish, Commonwealth or EU Citizen.

You only have to register once to be able to vote. If you're unsure if you're already on the Electoral Register, please contact us.

To register to vote, you can do this by visiting the GOV.UK website to:

When registering to vote you'll be asked for your National Insurance number. You can still register if you do not have a National Insurance number and the form will ask you to explain why you cannot provide one. We'll then contact you to verify your identity.

Visit the GOV.UK website for information to find a lost National Insurance number.

Updating your details

If you move house, you will not automatically be registered at your new house or flat. You should register to vote again by visiting the GOV.UK website

If you change your name due to getting married or through a deed poll you should contact the Council’s Elections Team requesting a change of name form, or re-register by visiting GOV.UK website.

Vote registration for students and multi home owners

If you split your time between two addresses, you can register to vote at both addresses as long as they're not both in the same local authority area.

This could be if you're a student and have both home and term time addresses, or if you own and reside in more than one property.

Vote registration for the Armed Forces

Members of the Armed Forces, their spouses and civil partners can register to vote as either a service voter or ordinary elector.

Service voters

If you're in the Armed Forces and are based overseas or expect to be posted abroad within the next year, you should register to vote as a service voter.

This will allow you to be registered at a fixed address in the UK even if you move abroad. A service voter registration lasts for five years, so once you are registered to vote you shouldn't have to worry about it whilst you're posted overseas.

When registering to vote as a service elector, please use the usual GOV.UK online vote registration option. You'll be able to provide your service number during the online process.

If your Armed Forces role means you are based in the UK, we recommend registering to vote as an ordinary elector.

Vote registration for overseas citizens

If you're a UK citizen living abroad, you can register to vote for the UK Parliamentary General Elections if you've been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years.

You'll be asked the address of where you were last registered and this will be the area where your vote will be counted.

See our ways to vote area for information on proxy and postal voting.

What registering to vote means

You must be on the Electoral Register to vote in a local or UK held election or referenda. Being on the Electoral Register means you can vote, but it's also used by credit agencies. This means that if you're not on the Electoral Register, you might find it difficult to get a:

  • loan
  • mortgage
  • finance agreement
  • mobile phone contract.

By law, you must register to vote or you could be fined up to £80.

Vote registration processing

When you've registered to vote, your details will be checked and verified before you are added to the Electoral Register.

You'll receive a letter from us confirming your registration or to request more information.

Electoral and Open registers

By law, the Electoral Register is updated on the first working day of every month except October and November.

The Open Register is a version of the Electoral Register that's available for anyone to buy a copy.

When registering to vote, you will be asked if you want your details excluded from the Open Register. Opting out doesn't affect your right to vote or your credit status. You can opt out of the Open Register online.