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Giving City workers a chance to shape our future
The City of London is unique. City workers, not just residents, can vote in our elections in addition to voting at home. This makes sure workers’ priorities get heard loud and clear. Voters elect members of the City of London Corporation, the organisation which runs the Square Mile. Not only do we look after local services such as roads, rubbish collection, planning and the police - we also support and promote City businesses and ensure this remains one of the best places to live, work and visit in the world.
To become a voter, City workers must be registered by their workplace by 16th December each year.
Voter registration is a sign of confidence in the City - that our civic and democratic institutions remain strong and that as many member of our community as possible can have their voices heard.
Empowering staff through voter registration
Voter registration is not political - it is a visible sign that your organisation sees itself as part of the City community and allows your colleagues a say in the future of the place they work.
Voter registration is a great way to engage staff with the Square Mile and feel a sense of ownership and involvement in City life. It can also be a useful personal development tool, allowing staff at varying levels of seniority to gain experience in a leadership role by representing the views and interests of their colleagues, your organisation and the wider sector. The law requires that the voters an organisation registers reflect, as far as practical, the composition of their workforce - it's important that all staff and any staff networks are made aware of the opportunity to participate. Organisations should avoid only registering senior staff and the process of appointing voters should be open and clear.
How to register as a worker voter
If you work for a company or other organisation in the City, they have likely received details on how to begin the registration process. If this is not the case, please get in touch. If you don't know who registers voters within your organisation, please register your interest and we will let them know you'd like to become a voter. Sole traders and partners, who are physically based in the City for work, may register themselves to vote online. Please contact us for voter registration details. If you don't know how many voters your organisation should register, you can calculate that below.
Calculate the number of voters your organisation should register
How many of your staff used or will use these premises as their principal place of work on 1st September this year?
Make sure to include long-term sub-contractors, consultants and agency staff.
You should register 1 voters. Please use your full voter allocation. Different rules apply for sole traders and partnerships (except LLPs), which are outlined in the FAQs below.
Send this information to City of London elections team:
Frequently Asked Questions
Those registering to vote at a company or other incorporated organisation must meet one of the following criteria, which can include long-term sub-contractors, agency staff and part-time workers. Time spent working remotely on a temporary basis due to the pandemic, which would otherwise have been spent working in the City, counts towards eligibility.
- Has worked for the organisation in the City, as their principal place of work, since 1st September 2022.
- or has worked at the organisation in the City, as their principal place of work, for a combined period of five years or more - with some of this taking place since 1st September 2018.
- or has worked in the City, as their principal place of work, for any organisation - for a combined period of ten years or more.
- or was a member of the organisation's Board of Directors or Governing Body on 1st September 2022, and had been so for the whole of the previous year.
You must also be a UK, Commonwealth or EU citizen. EU citizens, who are not also Commonwealth or Irish citizens, can vote for Common Councillors but not Aldermen. You can be registered if they turn 18 by 15th February 2025, but must be 18 on Election Day to actually vote.
The voter registration rules are different to those for companies. All sole traders or partners can register to vote if they are physically working out of a City of London premises, that they or their partnership own or rent with a freehold or lease, on 1st September 2023. This includes barristers chambers and those working from home on a temporary basis due to the pandemic.
They must also be a UK, EU or Commonwealth citizen and over the age of 18 to vote.
This doesn't apply to LLPs, who must follow the same rules as Limited Companies.
No. Commonwealth and EU citizens can register to vote in our elections. EU citizens, who are not also Commonwealth or Irish citizens, can vote for Common Councillors but not Aldermen.
Businesses can’t vote, but their workers can. Businesses and other organisations that own or rent a physical workplace in the City, with a freehold or leasehold, can nominate staff to vote in City elections. Once nominated, worker voters can make their own decision about how they cast their vote. Voters nominated by their workplace may, however, choose to consult their colleagues on issues and candidates, so as to better represent their views in the way they vote.
The City is divided into 25 wards, small electoral districts, each with a number of Common Councillors and one Alderman. There are 125 elected members of the City of London Corporation in total, who look after local services in the City and beyond, and serve as the representative voice of City businesses here and around the world. The next all-out elections to the Common Council will be in March 2025, but by-elections and elections for Alderman can be held at any time. Those registered by 16th December will be able to vote in elections held during the following year.
Each City workplace that is eligible to register voters should have a designated member of staff responsible for registration. If you do not know who this person is, please express an interest in becoming a voter and we’ll get in touch with them on your behalf.
If your City workplace remains your principal or only place of work, you are likely still eligible - as long as you retain a genuine physical connection to the Square Mile. While those working from home part of the time, or even the majority of the time, may still be eligible, those working remotely all the time are not.
No. You can be a long-term subcontractor, agency worker or part-time worker, as long as your primary place of work is the organisation’s workplace in the City. Other qualifications apply - please see further information.
Only certain City workers qualify to be voters. You must, or your workplace must, have a freehold or lease on a physical workplace in the City - this does not include most serviced offices like WeWork, which give their customers a licence to occupy rather than a lease. Various other qualification rules apply, please see further information.
In addition to its 8,600 residents, the City plays host to over 500,000 workers, many of whom spend more time here than they do at home. Similarly, the City of London Corporation serves as both the local authority for the Square Mile and a representative voice for its businesses, here and abroad.
No, your workplace must re-register each year by submitting their voter registration form. You must be registered by 16th December 2023 to appear on next year's Ward List.
More information on individual candidates in any election is published following the nomination deadline. You may however see candidates campaigning before then and shouldn’t hesitate to get in touch with them. You can find the current members for your ward here.
Yes. If you live outside the City, being registered in our elections doesn’t affect your voter registration at home. If registered, you can vote in local elections in both places.
Registered electors are able to vote in their allocated polling station on polling day. As with any other election, you can request a postal vote without needing a reason. If you would prefer to vote by post, your application must be signed by hand and received by 5pm on the 11th working day before the election. Postal votes are usually despatched 10 working days before polling day.