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Registering to vote online takes about 5-10 minutes and requires your National Insurance number. You can do it here: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
The deadline for registering to vote for the next Scottish Parliament election is 11:59pm Monday 20th April. It’s best to register as soon as possible if you want to vote in case you encounter any problems.
You do not need any current or in-date form of ID in order to register to vote. This same link can be used to change the name and address you have previously used to register to vote if you are already registered.
When registering to vote, you will need to answer questions about: your nationality, date of birth, full name, if you’ve ever changed your name, your National Insurance Number, where you currently live, your postcode, if you have a second address, if you’ve moved in the last 12 months, if you want to be on the open register, and how best to contact you.
If you’re in the process of changing your name, and haven’t changed it everywhere, that’s not a problem.
The most important thing is to register in the name currently associated with your National Insurance number, as this is the primary way that your identity is checked.
If this is your first time registering to vote or updating your details since changing the name associated with your National Insurance number, there can sometimes be difficulties verifying your details. This is because HMRC automatically marks trans people’s records as sensitive when they change their name with them. When they do this, it makes your National Insurance number harder to find for other agencies. This is why we recommend registering as soon as you can, so if there are any delays you don’t miss the deadline if you want to vote.
If your Local Electoral Office is confused about why they can’t find your details, you may need to explain to them that it is likely because your record is marked as sensitive. They might ask for other ways to verify your identity, like providing them with name change documents or other forms of ID.
If you are currently in the process of changing your name, it may be best to register under your previous name if this is the name associated with your National Insurance number, as you may not have enough time before the deadline to register to vote on 20th April to change this with HMRC in time.
When registering, there is also a question which asks if you’ve ever changed your name, with the options to say “yes”, “no”, or “prefer not to say”. While the choice is up to you, it is often best to select “yes” if you have changed your name since the last time you were registered to vote to help your application go as smoothly as possible.
To vote in a Scottish Parliament election, you need to be registered to vote, aged 16 or over on voting day, and not be legally excluded from voting.
You can use the Electoral Commission’s online questionnaire to see if you are eligible to vote: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote/register-vote or check the UK Government’s page on eligibility criteria for different elections here: https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk?step-by-step-nav=ff81c31c-3282-49df-85a4-013887130110
Once you’ve registered to vote, you can also apply to vote via post if you would prefer. Registering requires your National Insurance number and a few other details, including a photo of your signature.
Registering for a postal vote might be a good option for you if you might struggle for any reason to attend a polling station in person on the day of the Scottish Parliament election.
For the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election, you can apply for a postal vote online here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
The deadline for applying for a postal vote for this Scottish Election is 5pm Tuesday 21st April.
For more information on postal votes, see the Electoral Commission’s website here https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/apply-vote-post.
You can also vote via proxy if you trust someone else to vote on your behalf, and you can find more information on this here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/ways-vote/apply-vote-proxy.
The deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 5pm Tuesday 28th April.
If you are unable to fill out the online form, you can apply for a paper form here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-to-vote-paper-forms
If you’re unsure if you’re already registered to vote, you can use this website to find the details of your local Electoral Registration Office and get in touch with them: https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office
For more information and guidance on registering to vote see the Electoral Commission’s website here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote/register-vote and the UK Government’s website here: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
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+44 (0)131 467 6039 info@scottishtrans.org
Scottish Trans is part of the Equality Network
Scottish Trans is the Equality Network project to improve gender identity and gender reassignment equality, rights and inclusion in Scotland. The Equality Network is a leading Scottish lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality and human rights charity.
The Equality Network is a registered Scottish charity: SC037852, and a company limited by guarantee: SC220213.
We are grateful for funding from the Scottish Government
