Register to Vote

Registering to vote is easy and will take about five minutes.

To register, you need your national insurance number & address. Every UK resident with the right to work is issued with a national insurance number at age 16. You can find the number on your national insurance card, or on a payslip from your employer.

After you’ve registered, your name and address will appear on the electoral register.

If you’re not sure if you’ve already registered, you can contact Electoral Services at 0118 937 3717 or [email protected]. However, you can simply register again if you can’t remember, and there won’t be an issue.

Away this spring?

This year the Reading Borough Council election will be held on Thursday 7th May 2026. If you cannot get to your local polling station on the day of an election, you can vote by post or apply for a proxy vote.

A proxy vote means someone else will be able to cast your vote on your behalf. You’ll already need to be registered to vote before applying for a postal vote.

Postal vote applications will only be valid for a maximum 3 year period. After this period you will have to re-apply. The Electoral Services Team will write to you about this prior to your absent vote expiring.