Voting by post or proxy

If you cannot attend your polling station for any reason (including Coronavirus), you can choose to vote by post or proxy.

How to apply

You must already be registered to vote to apply for a postal or proxy vote.

If you want to have your ballot paper sent to you in the post, you will need to apply to vote by post.

By post

Please complete an application form [PDF, 0.1MB] and send it to the Electoral Registration Office. See below for information about how to return your application form.

The deadline to apply to vote by post or amend an existing postal vote is 5pm 11 working days before polling day.
Anyone can apply for a postal vote, and you can choose to have it on a permanent basis or for a specific election/referendum.

By proxy

You can also choose to vote by proxy. This is when you appoint someone to visit your polling station on your behalf.

Please complete a proxy voting application form [PDF, 0.1MB] and send it to the Electoral Registration Office.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm 5 working days before polling day. Anyone may apply to vote by proxy as a one-off, for a specific election/referendum.

If you would like to apply for a permanent proxy vote, you should contact the Elections team to discuss your requirements. 

Emergency proxies

An emergency proxy can be applied for after the deadline for appointing normal proxy has closed. This applies to those who have to be away for work and only discovered this after the proxy application deadline and for those who have fallen ill after the deadline. These proxies would need to be supported by an employer (there are provisions for the self employed) or a relevant medical professional.

The provision for emergency proxies has now also been extended to include those who are having to isolate due to COVID-19 and those displaying COVID-19 symptoms on polling day. Further information and applications forms can be found on the Electoral Commission Website

How to return your application to vote by post or proxy

The easiest way to submit your application is by scanning and emailing your completed form to elections@scambs.gov.uk.

Please make sure your scan is of good quality.

If you are unable to scan and email your application, you can post or hand-deliver it to:

Electoral Registration Office
South Cambridgeshire District Council
Cambourne Business Park
Cambourne
Cambridge CB23 6EA