Second Homes

Information on voter registration for students and those with second homes

It is legal to register to vote for both your homes if they are not in the same constituency and you are resident in both of them. 

The main qualification to vote (apart from nationality and age) is residence at an address on the relevant date. This is either 15 October during the annual voter registration canvass, or the date a voter registration form is filled in during the rest of the year. 

The definition of residence is not set out in detail in electoral law, but it has been guided by decisions made over the years by the courts. 

The register of electors is not like the national Census held every 10 years, which is based on where people are on a particular day. The Registration Officer can look backwards and forwards from 15 October to decide if someone is resident, for electoral purposes. You do not have to be physically present at an address on 15 October to register there. 

Unlike Council Tax, you do not have to choose which is your main residence for electoral purposes. 

The courts have decided that a person can be resident at more than one address. However, a person's residence must have "a considerable degree of permanence". 

For instance, someone who has an address in London where they stay during the week, and an address "in the country" where they go most weekends, can register at both those addresses. 

On the other hand, if someone has an address which they only visit occasionally during the year, they would probably not be eligible to register there. 

Each individual case is different, and you may wish to speak to Electoral Services for more guidance. 

Convenience or "care of" addresses

We do hear of cases where people register at, say, their parental home (although they do not live there) because they move address quite frequently. This is wrong; people should register where they actually live. 

Students

The courts have specifically decided that students can register at both their home and term-time addresses. We have a factsheet on students' voting rights if you want more information. 

Voting

Although people can register at more than one address, it is illegal to vote more than once at the same election,  such as a General Election.