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Registering to vote

Registering to vote

Register to vote deadline - Midnight, Tuesday 17 February 2026.

To register to vote, please go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You will need your national insurance number and registering only takes a few minutes.

Voting by post

Postal vote deadline - 5pm, Wednesday 18 February 2026.

To apply for a postal vote either:

Completed applications must be received by Wednesday 18 February 2026. The first postal votes are expected to hit around Saturday 21 February 2026.

If you applied for a postal vote before 30 January 2024, by law you were required to reapply by 31 January 2026. If you did not reapply, your postal vote has been cancelled.
You can still:

Voting by proxy

Proxy vote deadline - 5pm, Wednesday 25 February 2026. 

To apply for a proxy vote either:

Completed applications must be received by Wednesday 25 February 2026. A reminder your proxy will need to vote on your behalf at your polling station and present Voter ID.

Emergency Proxy

Emergency Proxy deadline - 5pm Thursday 5 March 2026. 

In certain circumstances, where you have an emergency that means you can't vote in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy, to allow someone you trust to vote on your behalf at your polling station. This must be due to reasons that you weren't aware of before the Wednesday 25 February 2026 at 5pm.

You may be able to request an emergency proxy if one of the following applies:

- You have a medical emergency

- You are away for work

Please download and complete the relevant application form from the links above and return to Electoral Services, Stroud District Council, Ebley Mill, Stroud, GL5 4UB or send a clear scan or photo of the completed form by email to elections@stroud.gov.uk. The completed application form needs to be returned by 5pm on Thursday 5 March 2026.

An elector can apply for an emergency proxy on the grounds relating to Voter ID if after the deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (5pm, Wednesday 25 February 2026) and 5pm on polling day (Thursday 5 March 2026) any of the following apply:

  • Elector or proxy's photographic ID, Voter Authority Certificate of Anonymous Elector's Document has been lost, stolen, destroyed or damaged so that it is no longer useable - must have occurred after 5pm on Wednesday 25 February 2026.
  • Elector or proxy has sent their photographic ID that they would use in a polling station to another person/organisation to prove their identity and is unlikely to be returned in time for polling day. 
  • Elector or proxy applied for photographic ID, a Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector's Document in the 3 months before the Wednesday 25 February 2026 and their photographic ID has not arrived. 
  • An Anonymous Elector has not been issued with an Anonymous Elector's document.
  • An Anonymous Elector has been issued with an Anonymous Elector's Document and, after the deadline, has been allocated to an elector number that is different to the one shown on their Anonymous Elector's Document.
  • Elector or proxy had been issued a Temporary Voter Authority Certificate for a specific date but the election was adjourned. 

Emergency Proxy - Voter ID - the application must be completed and returned to elections@stroud.gov.uk, delivered to Ebley Mill or posted to Electoral Services, Stroud District Council, Ebley Mill, Ebley Wharf, Stroud, Glos, GL5 4UB for checking before the elector/proxy can attend the polling station. The completed application must be received by 5pm on Thursday 5 March 2026. 

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