Birmingham local elections 2022: how to vote in person, by post, or by proxy - and deadline to register

The local elections are here, and people who live in wards within Birmingham City, Solihull and Sandwell Councils are preparing to cast their votes.

Registering to vote and knowing which ways you can vote are often tricky, so to help with this here is all the information you need ahead of the election.

When is the 2022 local election?

This year’s local elections take place on Thursday, 5 May. Polling stations in all wards in the Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull regions will be open for people to cast their vote between 7am and 10pm.

Here is all the information you need to know about the three ways you can vote, and when the key dates are for the election.

How do I vote in person?

The deadline to register to vote in this election was 14 April, therefore if you are not currently registered you will be unable to vote on 5 May.

For those who are registered and have decided they will vote in the upcoming election in person, you will receive a polling card sent to your home.

This card will explain to you on which day you can go to vote as well as the address of your polling station.

Once you have arrived at your polling station (these are normally public buildings, such as schools, leisure centres, community halls) you will be given a ballot paper.

On the paper there will be a list of candidates for which you can cast your vote.

Once you have filled in the paper, you will be asked to fold it over and place it in a ballot box.

You are not allowed to discuss your vote in the polling station.

How do I vote by proxy?

Voting by proxy essentially means that you have selected someone else to vote for you.

This can be done in circumstances which restrict you from voting in person, including if you have a disability, medical issue or if you are at work.

The deadline for applying to vote by proxy is 5pm on Tuesday, 26 April in England.

However, emergency proxy votes are available up until 5pm on polling day.

If you have already signed up to vote by proxy and the person you’ve nominated has Covid, you have until the same deadline to nominate somebody else.

How do I vote via post?

The deadline to register to vote via post was on 19 April, meaning that you are no longer able to register to carry out a postal vote for the 2022 local elections.

For people who have applied for a postal vote, you will receive your ballot through the post.

You can vote via post if you are away from home or if you’re abroad and want to vote.

When voting by post, you should:

• Mark your vote on your ballot paper in secret
• Fill in the postal voting statement
• Put the ballot and statement in the envelope provided
• Seal the envelope yourself

If voting by post, you are encouraged to send in your ballot as soon as possible to ensure it is received in time to be counted.

If you are too late to post your ballot, you have until 10pm on polling day to deliver your vote to the polling station.