Proxy Voting

You can appoint another person to vote on your behalf in person at the polling station. A person appointed to vote on behalf of another elector is known as a proxy.

An appointed proxy must be 18 years old and older and currently registered to vote at an address in the UK.

Anyone can apply for a proxy for a one-off election. To apply for a 5 year proxy arrangement you need supporting evidence for one of the following reasons:

  • you have a disability
  • you are away on an educational course
  • you are regularly away for work
  • you are an overseas voter
  • you are in the Armed Forces

How to apply

Please email electoralservices@eastdevon.gov.uk to request an application form.

From 31 October 2023, applications to vote by proxy will be rejected where a national insurance number is not provided. This is due to a change to electoral law, which requires you to verify your identity when applying to vote by proxy.

The deadline to return an application to vote by proxy under current electoral law (without a national insurance number) is 30 October 2023.

During this transition period (up to 30 October 2023) application forms will only be sent as a PDF attachment via email. Requests for paper applications will be sent after 1 November 2023.

Return your completed form to us either:

  • As a scanned attachment to an email to electoralservices@eastdevon.gov.uk. Please ensure that the image is of good quality and your signature is clear.
  • or post it to us at Electoral Services, East Devon District Council, Backdown House, Border Road, Honiton EX14 1EJ.

Please note that you must print the form and provide your physical ("wet") signature using black ink within the box in the section of the application where it is requested before you scan and return your form. If you do not have access to a printer, please email electoralservices@eastdevon.gov.uk and we will post the form to you.

The deadline for making an application for a proxy vote is 5pm, six working days before polling day. However, if you are already registered to vote by post, the deadline to change from a postal vote to a proxy vote is 5pm, 11 working days before polling day.

Please note that your appointed proxy must vote in person on your behalf at the designated polling station for the address where you are registered to vote in East Devon. If your proxy is unable to attend your polling station, they should apply to vote by post on your behalf. Please see information about postal voting above.

If you have any questions regarding proxy voting, please email electoralservices@eastdevon.gov.uk

Emergency Proxy

If after 5pm on the 6th working day before polling day you find you are unable to vote in person because you have either a medical emergency or for reasons due to work or service, you can apply to vote by emergency proxy. Completed applications must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, East Devon District Council, Blackdown House, Border Road, Honiton, EX14 1EJ, by 5pm on polling day. Depending on the reason for your application it will need to be supported by either a medical practitioner or your employer. You can download an application form from the electoral commission website:

Application to Vote by Emergency Proxy

Postal Proxy

If the person you appoint is unable to attend your polling station, they can apply to vote on your behalf by post - you must already be a proxy voter for them to do this. Contact our office to arrange this using the contact details listed. 

Cancelling your Proxy vote

If you wish to cancel your proxy vote, contact our office using the contact details listed. 

You can return completed applications by email by sending a PDF copy of the form to electoralservices@eastdevon.gov.uk or by posting it to Electoral Registration Officer, East Devon District Council, Blackdown House, Border Road, Honiton, EX14 1EJ

Contact Us

To request a paper copy of the application form please click on the blue 'start' button below and complete our online contact form. Please make sure you provide either an email address or telephone number to make sure that we can contact you as quickly as possible.