Northern Ireland

Assembly Election 2016: Registering, Voting and ID FAQs

 The deadline for registering to vote or updating your details on the register for the 2016 Assembly election is Monday April 18
 The deadline for registering to vote or updating your details on the register for the 2016 Assembly election is Monday April 18  The deadline for registering to vote or updating your details on the register for the 2016 Assembly election is Monday April 18

Am I eligible to vote?

You can register to vote if you are:

  • An Irish, British or Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of an EU member state
  • 17 or over 
  • Living in Northern Ireland for at least three months before your application for registration

You must be registered to vote and 18 or over on May 5 2016.

Am I registered to vote?

You only need to register once in Northern Ireland, unless your personal details, like your name or address, change.

If you would like to check if you are registered to vote and the address at which you are registered, you can contact the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland to find out.

Call the Helpline on 0800 4320 712 (Open 9 - 4.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9- 4pm Friday). You will be asked to provide your name, address and date of birth.

How do I register?

To register to vote in Northern Ireland, download a voter registration form, complete it and send it to your local electoral office.

The deadline for registering to vote or updating your details on the register for the 2016 Assembly election is Monday April 18.

In Northern Ireland, the law requires an original signature on the registration form, so you cannot register to vote online.

Registration evidence may be required as proof of the details you provided, for example your date of birth, National Insurance Number or nationality if you are not British or Irish

If you have been contacted by the Electoral Office to be added to the Electoral Register, it is an offence to refuse to do so or to provide false information, even if you do not intend to vote. Once you are on the Register your details cannot be removed, unless you are no longer eligible, for example if you leave the country.

The registration form is also available in large print, Braille and on audio CD by contacting the Electoral Office. It is also available in a number of languages including Irish, Polish, Romanian and Portuguese.

If you cannot complete the form due to a disability, someone can complete it on your behalf and sign it as a witness.

Can I register for a postal or proxy vote?

The deadline for postal and proxy vote applications has now passed.

The only grounds on which you can now apply to vote by post or proxy at this election is unforeseen illness.

The deadline for the receipt of these applications is 5.00pm on Tuesday April 26.

Can I register in a new constituency?

You must update your details on the Electoral Register if you move. The constituency you vote in is determined by the address you provided on the register.

If you have moved home, you need to register to vote at your new address.

If you are a student living away from home, you may be registered at both your home and term-time address.

You must choose which constituency you would like to vote in, as it is an offence to vote twice in any one election.

I live overseas, can I vote in this election?

No. Overseas electors are not permitted by law to vote in Northern Ireland Assembly or council elections.

What candidates are running for election in my constitency? 

You can view the candidates standing for election in your area on the Electoral Office website.

Where do I go to vote?

Poll cards were issued by post from March 31 to April 1 to registered voters.

These include details including the location of your polling station. 

If you don’t receive a polling card, you can call the Electoral Office helpline for advice or use the post code facility on their website to find out where to cast your vote.

Your poll card only provides information and is not required to vote. 

What do I do at the polling station?

At the polling station a member of will ask you to confirm your name and address and you will be asked for photographic identification.

Staff will then issue the ballot paper to you. A Braille version is available for blind and partially sighted voters.

You should then go to the polling booth and mark your ballot paper with a ‘1’ against your first preferred candidate, a ‘2’ against your second preferred candidate and so on, for as many candidates as you wish.

Do not write anything else on the ballot paper or your vote may not count.

If you make a mistake on your ballot paper, you can return the ballot paper to the polling station staff and you will be issued with a replacement. If you make a mistake on your ballot paper and put it in the ballot box, a replacement cannot be issued.

When your ballot paper is ready, fold it to conceal your vote and put it in the ballot box.

What are the rules at polling stations?

Photos of any kind, including selfies, are not permitted inside the polling station.

Only assistance dogs are allowed in the polling station.

What facilities are available to help voters with a disability?

Polling stations will have a range of facilities to help voters with disabilities including aids for those with sight issues and a shelf at suitable height for people in wheelchairs.

If you want to use any of these items, please tell the staff at the polling station when they give you your ballot paper.

If you are unable to mark the ballot paper yourself, you can have it marked by a companion, or the Presiding Officer at the polling station.

You will need to tell the polling station staff that this is how you want to vote and why.

If your companion is voting for you they will be asked to fill in a form. 

A companion must be a registered voter over 18 and a relative or partner of the voter. A companion cannot assist more than two people to vote.

What can I use as photographic identification?

There are several acceptable types of photographic identification including:

  • A UK, Irish or EEA driving licence (photographic part) (provisional accepted)
  • A UK, Irish or EU passport
  • An Electoral Identity Card
  • A Translink Senior SmartPass 
  • A Translink 60+ SmartPass
  • A Translink War Disabled SmartPass
  • A Translink Blind Person’s SmartPass

How do I apply for an Electoral ID Card?

You can apply for a free Electoral Identity Card in person or by post until the Friday April 22 deadline.

If you already have an Electoral Identity Card which has expired, you do not need to renew it to vote at a polling station. ID is not required to be current, but must be a good enough likeness for staff to confirm your identity.

Applications may be made in person at any Area Office where your photograph will be taken for the card free of charge (you will not need to provide identification if you apply in this way, provided you are listed on the electoral register). You will need to provide your National Insurance Number on the form.

You can also apply by post by downloading the Electoral Identity Card application form.

You will need to provide an original form of photographic ID or a declaration completed by an MP, MEP, MLA or Councillor if applying by post.