Seven things to remember for polling day on 5 May 2022

Your polling station will be on your poll card, which you'll receive through the post a few weeks before polling day.

You can also enter your postcode into our search to find out where to go to vote.

You have to go to your allocated polling station. You can't go to a different one, for example a polling station close to where you work.

Not sure who will be standing in the election in your area?

Enter your postcode to find out.

Different elections use different voting systems, and the way you have to mark your ballot paper can change.

To make sure you fill in your ballot paper correctly, read the instructions carefully.

Find out more about voting in:

• local elections in England and Wales
• council elections in Scotland
• Northern Ireland Assembly elections

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 5 May.

You can go to vote at any time while polling stations are open. If it’s busy at the end of the day, you’ll still be able to vote as long as you joined the queue before 10pm.

There are some pilots taking place in four areas of Wales this year. If you live in Caerphilly, Torfaen, Bridgend or Blaenau Gwent, when and where you can vote might be a little bit different. Find out more about the pilots

In England, Scotland and Wales, you don’t need to take anything with you when you go to vote.

When you get your polling station, you’ll need to tell the polling station staff (or poll clerk) your name, or you can give them your poll card. You don't need your poll card to vote, but it can help to speed up the process.

You don’t need to take ID to vote in England, Scotland and Wales.

If you’re voting in Northern Ireland, you will need to take ID with you. Find out more about the ID to take

There will be pencils for you to use at the polling station, but you can take your own pen if you would like.

If you have a pet, you can take them with you when you go to vote. And be sure to keep an eye on the #DogsAtPollingStations hashtag on social media throughout the day!

If you’re voting in England, Scotland or Wales, you can apply for an emergency proxy in certain circumstances up until 5pm on polling day.

A proxy vote is when you ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. The person casting your vote is often referred to as your proxy.

An emergency must be something that you weren't aware of before the normal proxy vote deadline, including if you become unwell because of Covid-19.

If you become unwell as a result of Covid-19 shortly before polling day, you should follow the latest government advice.

Find out more about emergency proxies and download an application form

If you're not sure what to do, or need any help, just ask the staff at the polling station – they will be happy to assist you to cast your vote.

There are a number of things at the polling station to help you cast your vote, including a large print sample ballot paper, and a tactile voting device to help if you have a visual impairment.

If you want to, you can take your phone into the polling booth to use magnifier or text-to-speech apps, or the phone torch to improve lighting. When using your phone, don’t take any photos inside the polling station.

You can also ask polling station staff to help you, or you can bring someone with you to help (if they’re over 18 and eligible to vote in the election).