Voting in Person:

Polling Stations will be open on election days from 7am to 10pm and will be following all public health advice with appropriate hygiene and physical distancing measures in place. If however you know that you won’t be able to get to the polling station on election day you can arrange for an absent vote and vote either by post or by proxy.

Postal Voting

If you are a registered elector you can apply for postal vote because you’re away on holiday or because your work schedule means you can’t get to polling place. You can also choose to vote by post simply because it would be more convenient for you.

You can apply to vote by post for a particular election or referendum, for a specific time period, or for a permanent postal vote.

To apply for a postal vote you can:

Download the following forms :

Electors in Angus should email forfar@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01307 499910 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope with be provided to return the form.

Electors in Perth & Kinross should email perth@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01738 630303 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope with be provided to return the form

How to complete a postal vote application form:

The application form includes instructions on how to fill it in correctly.

You will need to provide your date of birth and signature on your application form. These are used to confirm your identity when you vote by post.

Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed it, you need to send it to the Electoral Registration Officer either by a scanned image attached to an email, by post or you can deliver it to the Electoral Registration Office.

Contact details are listed at the foot of this page in Completing the Form section.

Applications to vote by post must be submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm, eleven working days before an election.

Note: If you’re unable to sign the form, or are unable to sign in a consistent way, you can contact the Electoral Registration Officer for more information and to arrange a waiver for this requirement.

You can find out more about voting by post by visiting https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/how-vote-post

Postal Voting at an election

You will be a sent a postal vote ballot pack before the election.

After the deadline to become a candidate has passed (usually around three weeks before polling day), ballot papers are produced and printed. Yours will then be sent to you, in your postal voting pack.

Once you receive your postal voting pack, make sure to keep it somewhere safe. Don’t let anyone else handle it, and avoid leaving it where someone else could pick it up.

If you won’t be at your address to get your postal vote, you might want to think about a proxy vote instead – see Proxy Voting section below.

Proxy Voting

If you are a registered elector and you know that you won’t be able to get to the polling place on polling day, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. This is called a proxy vote and the person casting your vote is often referred to as your proxy.

The person voting on your behalf can either go to your polling place to cast your vote, or can apply to vote for you by post.

If you’re voting by proxy, you need to ask someone you trust to cast your vote on your behalf. You’ll need to tell your proxy who you would like to vote for.

Someone can be your proxy if they are:

  • registered to vote
  • able to get to your polling place on polling day
  • eligible to vote in the election

Your proxy does not have to be related to you.

At the same election, someone can only be a proxy for their close relatives, plus two other people.

What your appointed proxy needs to do on polling day:

The person you have appointed as your proxy will need to go to your polling place to cast your vote. They will receive a proxy poll card telling them where and when to cast your vote for you.

If they don’t receive a proxy poll card, they should check with the elections team at your council. They will be able to tell them where to go and vote.

You can still vote in person if you have a proxy vote, but only if you do so before your proxy has voted for you.

Find out how to vote by proxy by visiting https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/how-vote-proxy

To apply for a proxy vote:

To apply for a proxy vote, you have to complete a form and give a reason why you can’t get to your polling place in person.

This may be because you’re going to be on holiday, or have a physical condition which means you can’t get to your polling place on polling day.

You may also need to complete a new proxy vote application if you have moved house.

You will need to provide your date of birth and signature on your application form which must be submitted by 5pm, six working days before an election.

You can apply for a proxy vote for a specific election. This could be because you’re on holiday or away for work for an upcoming polling day.

You can also apply for a permanent or long-term proxy vote. Use one of these forms if you won’t be able to go to the polling station for the foreseeable future, or a long period of time.

Application Forms:

There are different application forms available to use and there is a specific application form you need to complete depending on the reason why you need a proxy vote.

  • In the case of a disability (whether a medical condition, illness or otherwise).
  • If you are away on an educational course
  • If a person’s occupation, service or employment means that they cannot go to the polling station in person and they became aware of this fact after the deadline for ordinary proxy application
  • If a person is registered as an overseas voter
  • If a person works overseas for the British Council or as a Crown servant
  • If a person is serving overseas in the Armed Forces

Please visit https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voting-person-post-or-proxy/apply-vote-proxy to download the appropriate proxy application form

If you are unable to download a Proxy Vote application form as you have no access to a printer or scanner, a form can be posted to you to complete.

If you’re unable to sign the form, or are unable to sign in a consistent way, you can contact the Electoral Registration Officer for more information and to arrange a waiver for this requirement.

Electors in Angus should email forfar@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01307 499910 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope will be provided to return the form.

Electors in Perth & Kinross should email perth@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01738 630303 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope will be provided to return the form.

Please note that if your appointed proxy cannot attend the polling station following Scottish Government advice or the advice of a registered medical practitioner in relation to coronavirus then you may appoint a new proxy provided the application is made before 5pm on the date of the election

Emergency Proxy Votes:

In certain circumstances, where you have an emergency that means you can’t vote in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy.

This must be something that you weren’t aware of before the normal proxy vote deadline.

  • You have a medical emergency*
  • You are away for work
  • You are a Scottish prisoner serving a sentence of 12 months or less (Scottish Parliament and Scottish Local Government elections only)
  • You are self-isolating due to COVID-19 (Scottish Parliament and Scottish Local Government elections only) 

* Please note that if a person’s disability meant that they were unable, perhaps due to being unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate instructions in relation to apply for a proxy before the deadline for an ordinary proxy application; they may apply for an emergency proxy.

Please visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voting-person-post-or-proxy/apply-vote-proxy to download the appropriate form.

Electors in Angus should email forfar@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01307 499910 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope will be provided to return the form.

Electors in Perth & Kinross should email perth@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01738 630303 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope will be provided to return the form.

These applications can be made up to 5pm on polling day.

Postal Proxy Votes:

If your trusted person can’t get to the polling place, they can apply to vote for you by post. This is called a postal proxy vote.

The deadline to apply for a postal proxy vote is usually 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.

Your appointed proxy will need to contact the Electoral Registration Officer to be sent a form to complete.

Electors in Angus should email forfar@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01307 499910 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope will be provided to return the form.

Electors in Perth & Kinross should email perth@tayside-vjb.gov.uk or call 01738 630303 to request a form to be posted. A pre-paid reply envelope will be provided to return the form.

Completing the Form

Please note that you will need to complete the form in BLACK ink and either return by post to the Electoral Registration Officer at the address listed below, or you can scan the completed form and send the image by email to the Electoral Registration Officer for Angus or Perth & Kinross:

Angus

By email to: forfar@tayside-vjb.gov.uk

By post or hand deliver to:

Electoral Registration Officer

William Wallace House

Orchardbank Business Park

Orchard Loan

Forfar, DD8 1WH

Perth & Kinross

By email to: perth@tayside-vjb.gov.uk

By post or hand deliver to:

Electoral Registration Officer

Robertson House

Whitefriars Crescent

PERTH

PH2 0LG