Every resident of the city who is eligible to vote should be included in the electoral register.
Every year between August and October an audit is carried out to update the register and make sure the details we hold for each household are correct.
A revised version of the register is then published on 1 December.
At other times of the year, you can register to vote under the rolling registration scheme. The register is updated on the first working day of each month from January to September, depending on when your application was received. See the table below for deadlines in 2012:
| If you apply before… | You will be added on… |
|---|---|
| Monday 12 December 2011 | Tuesday 3 January 2012 |
| Tuesday 10 January | Wednesday 1 February |
| Wednesday 8 February | Thursday 1 March |
| Friday 9 March | Monday 2 April |
| Wednesday 18 April * | Thursday 26 April |
| Thursday 10 May | Friday 1 June |
| Friday 8 June | Monday 2 July |
| Tuesday 10 July | Wednesday 1 August |
| Friday 10 August | Monday 3 September |
* When an election is called, applications to register to vote can be made up to 11 working days before polling day.
Download a voter registration form. One form per person please, and you must sign the form yourself.
Contact us if you have any questions: email elections@cambridge.gov.uk or telephone 01223 457048.
Particular circumstances
In all cases, or if your circumstances are not listed below, please contact us for a form and further information.
If you are a student
You can register at both your term-time address and your home address, if you wish.
However, it is a criminal offence to vote more than once in the same election. This means that you may vote in local elections from both addresses if they are for different local councils, as they are separate elections. You may only vote from one address for national elections, such as a general election.
If you live in student accommodation your university or college will provide us with your details in the autumn; you should check that this has been done. Otherwise, you must make sure that you complete a voter registration form.
If you live on a houseboat
If your boat has a permanent mooring in the city, you should register using a voter registration form.
If you do not have a permanent mooring, you should register with a Declaration of Local Connection.
If you live outside the UK
If you are a British national living abroad, you can register to vote in national elections for up to 15 years from the date you were last registered as an ordinary elector. You should register in respect of the last address you lived at in the UK.
If you are a member of the armed forces
If you or your spouse or civil partner serve in the armed forces, you can register to vote in one of two ways:
- You can register each year as an ordinary elector at the address where you live, or
- You can register as a service voter with a five year registration, in respect of the last address where you lived or the address you would live at were you not serving away from home
If you do not have a fixed address
You can register with a Declaration of Local Connection for an address or place where you spend a substantial part of your time. For example a night shelter, drop-in-centre, park bench or shop doorway.
The electoral register
The electoral register lists everyone who is entitled to vote. A revised version of the register is published every December.
There are two versions of the electoral register, a full version and an edited version. Registers for the Cambridge city area are held at the Guildhall.
The full register is used for voting, credit referencing, jury summoning and for the prevention and detection of crime. Anyone can inspect the full register, but this will be supervised and an appointment should be made in advance.
The edited register is the version that is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. A copy is available at the Guildhall reception for anyone to inspect.
If you do not wish your details to be included in the edited version of the register, you should ensure that you tick the box on the registration form asking if you want to be opted-out. You will need to make this choice each time you update or renew your registration.
Objections
Entries on the register of electors or applications for registration (except anonymous registrations) can be objected to by any elector registered in the city area.
Grounds for objection to inclusion in the register must refer to the fact that the person being objected to does not meet one or all of the requirements for registration.
Objections must be made in writing, giving details of the objection and signed and dated by the elector making the objection. Letters should be addressed to the Electoral Registration Officer, Cambridge City Council, PO Box 700, Cambridge CB1 0JH.
