You can submit an application to register online. You will need your national insurance number to complete the application. The online application form is supported by Government Digital Services and you will be taken away from the Ipswich Borough Council website.
Once you have completed the online form your data will be verified and then sent to us to complete the registration.
In order to register to vote in Ipswich you must:
If you are a member of the Armed Forces you can choose whether you register as a Service Voter or as an ordinary voter.
Citizens of EU member states who are resident in the England can register to vote in local government elections (Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council elections) but cannot vote in UK parliament elections.
British citizens, which includes Irish citizens and citizens of Crown Dependencies, who have moved abroad on a permanent basis can register to vote as an overseas elector. If you have previously lived or been registered to vote in the UK, you can vote in UK parliament elections. Overseas voters cannot vote in local government elections.
In order to register as an overseas elector in Ipswich you must have been:
Overseas British citizens must apply to register as a voter using the address where you were last registered to vote in the UK or, if you have never been registered, the last address at which you were resident in the UK.
If you were previously registered you will have to provide details about the address and time you were last registered.
If you previously lived in the UK, but were not registered, you will need to provide details about the address and time where you were last resident.
You can submit your application to register to vote as an overseas elector online:
Remember to apply for a postal or proxy vote at the same time as you register to vote unless you are planning to be in the UK at the time of an election and therefore can visit a polling station.
Overseas voters need to provide a renewal declaration every three years. This confirms that the details held on the electoral register are accurate and provides an opportunity to update correspondence details if necessary.
Using information received from the public, registration officers keep two registers – the electoral register and the open register (also known as the edited register).
The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections.
The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation.
The electoral register is used for:
The personal data in the register must always be processed in line with data-protection legislation.
Who uses the electoral register?
It is a criminal offence for anyone to supply or use the register for anything else.
The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. The personal data in the register must always be processed in line with data protection legislation.
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 would not affect your right to vote or your credit status. Visit Opting out of the open register if you would like to have your details excluded.
Who uses the open register?
Users of the open register include:
Mencap and The Electoral Commission have produced some easy read mini accessible guides to registering to vote and voting methods to support people with a learning disability. Click on the links below to access these. You will be taken away from the Ipswich Borough Council website.