Keep a look out for poll cards – and check the details
Poll cards have been issued to voters in St Albans District for important local elections on Thursday 4 May.
St Albans City and District Council has posted the cards to around 110,000 people who are registered to vote.
Voters should examine their cards carefully to check their ward and the location of their polling stations.
They should take their poll cards with them to vote so they can be attended to quickly.
Under new legislation, they must now show approved photo ID when voting at a polling station.
The elections are for 18 of the 56 seats on the District Council as well as all seats on the area’s nine Parish and Town Councils.
Amanda Foley, Returning Officer for St Albans City and District, said:
We are asking people to look out for their poll cards and to keep them safe for when they can vote.
We don’t want people turning up to the wrong place to vote, so it is important that they check the details, particularly the location of the polling station.
Voter ID
This year, voters are required to present an approved form of photo ID in order to vote at a polling station. This includes a current or expired UK passport or driver’s licence, as long as the photograph is a true likeness of the voter.
Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for free ID online.
Details of approved photo ID and how to apply for free ID, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, are available on the poll cards and the Electoral Commission’s website here.
The deadline for applying for the Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April.
Register To Vote
Residents in St Albans District have only a short time left to register to vote at this May’s elections.
Everyone aged 18 and above who is not registered at their current address should do so by midnight on Monday 17 April.
It takes only a few minutes to register at your current address by going online at www.gov.uk/registertovote.
People who were eligible to vote in last year’s elections and whose details have not changed will still be registered. They can check by calling the Council’s Electoral Services Team on 01727 819294.
Postal and Proxy Votes
Residents who are unable to get to a polling station on Thursday 4 May can apply to vote by post or proxy.
The deadline for postal vote applications is 5pm on Tuesday 18 April and to vote by proxy, it is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April. In certain circumstances, an emergency proxy vote can be applied for up until 5pm on the day of the elections.
Forms to apply to vote by post or proxy are also available from the Electoral Service’s Team or the Electoral Commission’s website, https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter.
Candidate List
The full list of candidates for the District Council elections will be published by 4pm on Wednesday 5 April.
This year, voters will elect a District Councillor in 18 of the 20 District wards with no District Council election taking place in Colney Heath and Marshalswick West.
The Parish and Town Councils holding elections are Colney Heath, Harpenden Town, Harpenden Rural, London Colney, Redbourn, St Michael, St Stephen, Sandridge and Wheathampstead.
Further Information
To find more information about the elections, go to: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/elections-thursday-4-may-2023.
Media Contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.