 To vote in this General Election, you must be registered to vote by 11:59pm on Tuesday 18 June, 2024.
If you've never registered to vote, have recently moved to a different address, or changed your name, you can register to vote online at: gov.uk/register-to-vote.
You can also apply by completing a paper application form. If you need help registering to vote or want to request an application form, please contact our Electoral Services team by email at: vote@westberks.gov.uk or by calling: 01635 519464.
If you're unsure whether you're eligible to vote, you can find out here.
 Voters in England are required to show photo ID to vote at a polling station.
If you don't have a form of accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate.
You can find a complete list of acceptable forms of ID on the Electoral Commission website, which includes:
- Passport
- Driving licence (including provisional licence)
- Blue badge
- Certain concessionary travel cards
- Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
If you have a form of accepted ID which is out of date, you can still use it to vote at a polling station if it still looks like you.
Applying for a Voter Authority Certificate
 Anyone who doesn't have one of the acceptable forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID online - known as a Voter Authority Certificate. Applications can be made online at: electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID or by completing a paper form and sending it to our Electoral Services team.
The deadline for applying for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.
If you need any help with applying for the free ID or want to request an application form, contact the Electoral Services team by calling: 01635 519464 or emailing: vote@westberks.gov.uk.
You may have already planned holidays or time away and might not be here to vote in person on 4 July. If you know that you won't be able to get to the polling station on polling day, you can vote by post or ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you, which is called a proxy vote.
 Voting by post
If you want to vote by post, you'll need to complete a postal vote application form and make sure it reaches us by 5pm on Wednesday 19 June.
Postal voting packs are sent out via Royal Mail approximately ten working days before the election, therefore, a proxy may be a more suitable solution if you are going away on holiday.
You will receive your ballot paper in the post. Complete and return your ballot paper, ensuring you leave enough time for it to reach us by 10pm on Thursday 4 July.
 Voting by proxy
This is where you allow someone you trust to vote on your behalf.
To apply to vote by proxy, complete an application form and make sure it reaches us by 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.
The person you choose to vote on your behalf will need to go to your polling station to vote and will need to show their own photo ID to be able to cast your vote. They will not need to show your ID when voting on your behalf, just their own.
 For the first time, residents will be electing Members of Parliament for the new constituencies of Newbury, and Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
Since the general election in 2019, the two new constituencies have been created as part of a national boundary review to rebalance the number of electors in each area.
The two constituencies span West Berkshire along with the wards of Kentwood, Norcot and Tilehurst within the Reading Borough Council area. West Berkshire Council will be administering the elections for both constituencies.
- Information about the candidates for both constituencies will be available to view here shortly: westberks.gov.uk/west-berkshire-elections
- Please remember to check your poll card to see where your polling station is - it may be different to previous elections
We hope you have found the information in this bulletin helpful. Please help us by spreading the word about the election, postal and proxy vote deadlines, and the need for voter ID with family and friends so that everyone eligible to do so can vote in this year's election.
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