Register to vote

To register to vote, you must:

• be resident in the electoral area
• be a British or Irish citizen, a qualifying foreign national or European Union citizen.  In Scotland, to qualify a foreign citizen must be resident in Scotland and either have leave to enter or remain in the UK or not require such leave
• be 14 or over
  • 16/17 year olds can vote at Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government elections
  • you have to be 18 or over to vote at UK Parliamentary or European Parliamentary elections
• not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote

Other groups can register to vote in special circumstances:

• British citizens living abroad
• Members of the Armed Forces
• Crown servants or British Council employees
• Eligible voters with no fixed address

Annual canvass of electors

The Electoral Registration Officer is required by law to carry out a household canvass each year to find out who is eligible to vote at every address in Dumfries and Galloway.  This year the canvass starts week commencing 2 August 2021. 

When households receive their canvass communication it is essential that residents check the details to ensure they are correct and advise us of any changes as soon as possible.

Where we hold an email address for a household we will email the canvass communication in order to minimise postage costs.  If we do not have an email address, a paper form will be sent.   All emails require a response, however, some paper forms do not so please follow the instructions given.

If you receive a paper form which indicates that you do need to respond please do so promptly as we are required by law to send reminder letters and follow up with telephone calls or household visits to non-responders.  If you would prefer to vote by post in future elections, please request a postal vote when responding to the form or email we send you.

A postal vote application form will then be sent to you and all you need to do is complete and sign it and return it to us.  You can then vote from home in future.

Register or tell us about a change

You can use an online service to register or update the details you registered:

Register to vote or update your details

You can also:

• Call 01387 260627
• Email ero@dumgal.gov.uk

Your details

Your details will be added to the electoral register . We use the register at elections and it can be used for things such as detecting fraud or calling you for jury service.

The electoral register can be viewed under supervision at:

• Municipal Chambers, Buccleuch Street, Dumfries, DG1 2AD

An extract of the full register, called the open or edited register, is also available for anyone to purchase. Your name and address are included in the open register unless you ask us to remove them. You can still vote if your details are removed.

Email ero@dumgal.gov.uk with your full name and address if you want to opt out of the open register.