Representation of the People Act 2000

4 (1) Where a person applies to the registration officer to vote by post at a particular parliamentary or local government election, the registration officer shall grant the application if—

(a) he is satisfied that the applicant is or will be registered in the register of parliamentary or, as the case may be, local government electors, and

(b) the application meets the prescribed requirements.

(2) Where a person applies to the registration officer to vote by proxy at a particular parliamentary or local government election, the registration officer shall grant the application if—

(a) he is satisfied that the applicant’s circumstances on the date of the poll will be or are likely to be such that he cannot reasonably be expected to vote in person at the polling station allotted or likely to be allotted to him under the appropriate rules,

(b) he is satisfied that the applicant is or will be registered in the register of parliamentary or, as the case may be, local government electors, and

(c) the application meets the prescribed requirements.

(3) Nothing in sub-paragraph (1) or (2) applies to a person who is included in the record kept under paragraph 3 in respect of elections of the kind in question, but such a person may, in respect of a particular parliamentary or local government election, apply to the registration officer—

(a) for his ballot paper to be sent to a different address from that shown in the record, or

(b) to vote by proxy,

if he is shown in the record as voting by post at elections of the kind in question.

(4) The registration officer shall grant an application under sub-paragraph (3) if—

(a) (in the case of any application) it meets the prescribed requirements; and

(b) (in the case of an application to vote by proxy) the registration officer is satisfied that the applicant’s circumstances on the date of the poll will be or are likely to be such that he cannot reasonably be expected to vote in person at the polling station allotted or likely to be allotted to him under the appropriate rules.