Electoral Registration

The Electoral Register is published on the first working day of each month, in accordance with a statutory publication timetable.

The timetable for 2023/24 is:

Local Authorities are required by law to publish two versions of the Electoral Register.

Full Register

The Full Register contains the names and addresses of everyone registered to vote in Mole Valley. This is a restricted copy of the Electoral Register that only certain organisations and individuals have access to. Their use of the Full Register is limited to specific purposes, i.e. the Jury Service can only use it for the purpose of selecting people for Jury Service.

This register is used for voting and certain organisations and individuals are entitled to receive a copy. It is supplied to Credit Reference Agencies for credit checking purposes and it is also supplied to political parties and elected members.

During an election, this register can be supplied to candidates to help them with their nomination process, as well as their campaigning.

Open Register

The Open Register is a version of the Electoral Register that is available to the public. This register can be bought by anyone on payment of a prescribed fee.

Please contact us if you wish to purchase a copy of the Open Register.

Please contact us if you wish to purchase a copy of the Open

You can view a printed copy of the Electoral Register at our Council Offices in Pippbrook, Dorking.

• Please note that the only register available for inspection is the current edition of the register
• All viewings of the electoral register must be supervised.
• Maximum time you can view the electoral register is 20 minutes
• Please also note that the registers are not available online. Only hand written notes may be taken when looking at the electoral register, photocopies or photographs are not permitted

You are entitled to register to vote as an overseas voter if you are a British or eligible Irish citizen currently living abroad, who was previously living, or registered to vote, in the UK. Recent changes to the law mean that overseas voters can register indefinitely.

Overseas voters are entitled to participate in non-local polls only, such as a UK Parliamentary General Election.

What happens after my application is submitted?

• Your application will be automatically acknowledged by email and this will include a reference number.
• Your application will be processed and an email, or letter, of confirmation will be sent to you if your application has been successful.
• We will write to you asking for further information, if this is required.
• If your application is unsuccessful, we will write to you with details on how this can be resolved.

How do I cast my vote?

You will need to setup a postal vote or appoint someone else to vote on your behalf (Proxy Voting).

The electoral timetable is extremely tight and, for this reason, we strongly recommend that overseas voters appoint someone else to vote on their behalf.

If you do wish to setup a postal vote, please ensure you apply as far in advance as possible. We have set despatch dates for postal ballot papers (these will be communicated on the main webpage for the election) so you will need to have regard for this and ensure you have enough time for the ballot paper to reach you, and be completed and returned by polling day. Your ballot paper will not be counted if it is received after 10pm on polling day.

Apply for a proxy vote

Apply for a postal vote

Renewing your registration and absent voting arrangements

Overseas voters are required to renew their registration every three years. Overseas voters will be required to renew their registration by 1 November every third year.

We will contact you approximately three months before your registration is due to expire and we will advise you of the steps to take to renew it. We will also send a reminder if a response isn’t forthcoming from our initial contact.

Your postal/proxy arrangements are linked to your overseas registration and will expire at the same time as your registration. We will write to you to renew these arrangements as well.

If we do not receive a response, your overseas registration will be cancelled and your details removed from the Electoral Register.

If you are a student, you are entitled to register at your home address and your term-time address.

You can only vote once in a national poll, such as a UK Parliamentary General Election, so you would need to choose which address to vote from.

National polls are considered as one election, so it is an offence to vote more than once. Local elections are considered as separate elections.

You can still register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address in Mole Valley. This could be because

• you are homeless or have no fixed address
• you are a patient in a mental health hospital
• you are a person who has been remanded in custody, but you have not yet been convicted of an offence.

Address to use when you register

To register, you need to give an address where:

• you would be living if it were not for your current situation, or
• you have lived in the past.

If you are homeless, you can give details of where you spend a substantial part of your time.

How to register to vote

Download an application form, complete it, and return it:

• By email to electoral.registration@molevalley.gov.uk
• By post to Electoral Services, Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ