Voting and elections in Cardiff
If you live in Cardiff and want to vote in any UK election or referendum, you need to be registered to vote there.
There are different ways to vote in elections. You can vote:
- at a polling station,
- by post,
- by proxy, or
- from overseas.
Register to vote
You only need to register to vote once – not for every election.
Being on the electoral register can also increase your credit score.
You will need to register to vote again if you have changed your:
- name,
- address, or
- nationality.
Voting
You will need photo ID to vote at a polling station for Police and Crime Commissioner and UK Parliamentary elections. UK Parliamentary elections are sometimes also called ‘General elections’.
In Wales, different people are eligible to vote in different elections.
Moving to or within Cardiff
If you are moving to or within Cardiff, you need to register to vote at that address.
Even if you previously registered at your old address in Cardiff, you will need to register again at your current address.
Although you live in Cardiff, you may not be eligible for every election.
University students
If you have moved to Cardiff for university, you can register to vote from your Cardiff address.
As this is your university address, you can be registered here and at your home address.
You can only vote once in an election.
Qualifying foreign nationals
As a foreign citizen living legally in Wales, you can vote at Local Government and Senedd elections if you are 16 or over. The Senedd is the Welsh Parliament.
Under-18s
In Wales, young people aged 16 or over can vote in local and Senedd elections. The Senedd is the Welsh Parliament.
You can also register to vote from the age of 14.
Voting at a polling station
Watch videos from councils in South Wales about voting at a polling station.
People with learning disabilities
Find out about the help available for people with learning disabilities at polling stations.
You can also find easy read guides on the GOV.UK website for:
Help for disabled voters at polling stations
See what help you can get when you go to vote. View different types of assistive equipment available for you to use at polling stations.
You can also watch the video about help for disabled voters with British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation.
Voting for the first time
Get information on the help available at polling stations.
This can help you familiarise yourself with the process.