Devon County Council Elections – 1st May 2025

Why should I vote?

By voting in the Devon County Council elections, you are choosing the person who will use their local knowledge to stand up for the issues most important to you, the needs of your community and help bring about the changes you want locally.

You will be voting for someone who will have a say in the priorities for the future of Devon and can help Devon County Council make decisions on key services including education, roads, social care for vulnerable adults and children as well as the local environment and Devon’s countryside.

Who can vote?

You can vote if you are:

• registered to vote
• 18 years old or older on the day of the election
• registered at an address in Devon
• a British, Irish, or qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK
• not legally excluded from voting

Are you registered to vote?

If you want to take part in the Devon County Council elections, you must be registered to vote by Friday 11 April 2025.

Registering is quick and easy – all you need is your National Insurance number. If you’ve never registered before, have moved house, or changed your name, visit the Government website before the deadline.

How do I vote?

Once registered, you can then decide how you are going to vote. There are three different ways you can vote. You can choose the way that suits you. You can either vote in person at the polling station, by post, or ask someone you trust to vote on your behalf (by proxy).

Vote in person at a polling station – and don’t forget your photo ID!

When you vote in person you go to the polling station allocated to you based on your address on the electoral register. This will be listed on your poll card, which you’ll receive through the post a few weeks before polling day.

To vote at a polling station, you will need to bring photo ID. You can check what forms of ID will be accepted on the Electoral Commission website. The deadline to apply for free voter ID is 5pm on Wednesday 23 April.

Apply for a postal or proxy vote

If you know that you won’t be able to get to the polling station on polling day, you can vote by post or by proxy.

You can apply for a postal vote on the Electoral Commission website. The deadline for this is 5pm on Monday 14 April 2025.

You can also apply for a proxy vote on the Electoral Commission website before 5pm on Wednesday 23 April 2025.

Who can I vote for?

It’s important to make an informed decision about who you want to vote for, so make sure you do your research about what the candidates in your area are standing for and what issues are important to them.

Your ballot paper will list the candidates standing for your area and indicate whether they are representing a political party or standing as an Independent candidate.

If you would like to see a list before polling day, a list of candidates for each area will be available soon or you can use the post code checker on The Electoral Commission website.