You can only vote in elections if your name is on the register of electors. If you are on the electoral register you can also apply to vote by post.

Who can register

You can only apply to have your name added to the register if you are:

• 18 (or will become 18 during the life of the register)
• a British, Irish, Commonwealth or European Union Member State citizen
• resident at a York address.

How to register your name

From the end of August until the end of November an annual canvass of all the residential properties in York takes place. This is done to compile the new Register of Electors, which will be published on 1 December 2010.

For any person wishing to register after the annual canvass can do so under rolling registration, the register is updated every month between January and September. When we receive a form we process your details and the register is updated on the first day of the following month, the table below explains the dates for updating the register. Once your details are added, we will send a letter to you confirming your name has been added to the register.

To apply to have your name added by rolling registration, print the form to the right and return it to us. Do not email this form back as we require your signature.

The Register of Electors is available for inspection during office hours at The Guildhall.

The Register of Electors - your choice

We make and keeps two versions of the register of electors - the full register, and the edited register.

The edited register can be bought by anyone, and they may use it for any purpose. However, electors can choose to have their name and address removed from the edited register.

Please put a tick in the form against anyone who wishes their name and address to be left off the edited register. You should, of course, check with each person what they would prefer.

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote in elections. It can only be seen on request at the council offices.

By law, the full register is only available to certain people and organisations and can only be used for specified purposes. These include electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime and checking identities for credit applications. It is a criminal offence for it to be used for any other purpose.

Anyone inspecting the register may only make a hand written copy of the extract they are inspecting.

Parliamentary Election and registering to vote

Currently we do not know the actual date of the parliamentary election, except that it must be called before 3 June 2010.

For those electors wishing to register to vote or apply for a postal vote in advance of the parlaimentary election, please note that the last day to regsiter to vote or apply for a postal vote is 11 working days before the election.

For example, if Thursday 6 May 2010 is the day that the election is called, the closing date would be Tuesday 20 April 2010 at 5pm.