Polling stations open from 7am – 10pm on 4 July. If you’re not sure where your local polling station is it will be on your poll card. Alternatively, visit Find your polling station | Where Do I Vote? and simply enter your postcode. You don’t need to bring your poll card to vote but it may help speed up the process when you arrive at your polling station.
The polling station will have been temporarily set up in a school hall or community centre or venue. It might be a different place from where it was last time, so please double-check.
Please expect the polling stations to be busy, and there could be queues, especially at traditionally busy times such as after 5pm and into the evening. Please be prepared to wait, and once you’re in the queue you should be able to vote if you joined it before 10pm.
Photo ID
If you’re voting in person, this is the first general election where photo ID – such as a passport or driving licence – is required. Not all forms of photo ID are valid so please check you’ve got one that will work.
Anyone registered to vote whose photo ID is lost, stolen, destroyed or damaged can apply for an emergency proxy, which means you can have someone you trust to vote on your behalf. You can apply until 5pm on polling day, Thursday 4 July.
Postal Votes
If, for any reason, you need to hand deliver your Postal Vote to your polling station please be mindful you will need to follow the new legislation. You can only hand in your own and up to five others. Additionally, you must complete a form otherwise all postal packs will be rejected. Polling stations will be very busy on polling day so, if at all possible, please post your postal vote if you can. If required, postal votes can be handed into reception at County Hall, Trowbridge and you will be required to complete a form. Please do not put your postal vote in the post boxes located at County Hall (Trowbridge), Bourne Hill (Salisbury) or Monkton Park (Chippenham) as they will be rejected. More postal vote information can be found on our election FAQ page.
Polling stations – dos and don’ts
Children may accompany you inside the polling station, but they are not allowed to mark your vote on the ballot paper. Dogs (apart from assistance dogs) aren’t usually allowed inside polling stations.
You’re not allowed to talk about the candidates or parties inside the polling station as political discussion is banned inside them. Staff will intervene if they hear any references to candidates or parties.
Once inside the polling station, you are not allowed to take photos, including selfies, because the Electoral Commission --which oversees UK elections - says it risks the secrecy of the ballot. The punishment for revealing how someone else voted - even accidentally - is a fine of up to £5,000, or six months in prison. Photos may be taken outside.
Receiving, marking and submitting your ballot paper
You’ll be asked for your name, address, and ID and will be given a ballot paper at your polling station. You can use any free booth, and pencils are provided (but you’re also allowed to use your own). Follow the instructions displayed in the booth. If you make a mistake, you can ask for a replacement, but you will have to give back the original ballot paper. You then fold the paper in half and post it into the ballot box.
Extra assistance
If you’re unsure what to do, or are disabled, polling station staff can help you, or you may bring someone with you. In England, anyone over the age of 18 can help you cast your vote. They do not need to be eligible to vote in that election. Polling stations should have large-print sample ballot papers, and tactile voting devices to help people with visual impairments. You can take your phone into the polling booth to use as a magnifier or text-to-speech apps, or the phone torch to improve lighting. But you must not take any photos inside the polling station.
Do I have to give my details to 'tellers' outside the polling station?
Sometimes "tellers" stand outside the polling station and ask voters for the number on their polling card. They are volunteers who work for candidates. They use the information to check who has voted, so they can remind people who have not yet done so. Tellers are allowed to ask for your polling card number, but you do not have to give it to them if you don’t wish to.
Results
All the local votes will be counted overnight, and results declared in the early hours of 5 July. Please follow us on X or Facebook for all the updates you’ll need or visit the Wiltshire Council website.
Need more information?
For more information, please visit the general election page on the Wiltshire Council website.
