Only days left to register to vote for local elections
Residents in the St Albans District have only days left to register to vote if they want a say in important local elections.
The deadline is midnight on Tuesday 17 April with only those on the electoral register being eligible to vote.
Anyone not registered to vote at their current address can do so online in just a few minutes.
Elections for the St Albans City and District Council take place on Thursday 3 May. A seat in each of the Council’s 20 wards is to be contested.
There will also be elections for a seat in the St Albans North Division of Hertfordshire County Council and one in the North West Ward of London Colney Parish Council.
The Electoral Commission has launched a campaign called “Got 5?” to inform people it barely takes five minutes to register by going online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
Poll cards have already been sent out and anyone who registers by the deadline will receive one. Although it is helpful to take it to the polling station, it is not necessary to do so.
Postal polling cards have also been mailed to residents who vote by post.
Mike Lovelady, the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, said:
Anyone not yet registered to vote should do so as soon as possible. It is very quick and easy to do so online and by securing your vote you will be able to have a say in the important local elections in May.
Phillippa Saray, Electoral Commission Regional Manager for the East and South East of England, said:
If you have turned 18, or if you have moved home recently, it’s particularly important that you act to ensure that you are registered. It takes just five minutes online and means that you can take part in these important elections.
If you were eligible to vote in last year’s General Election and your details have not changed, you will still be registered to vote. If in doubt, check your details by calling the Council’s registration office 01727 819294.
Anyone who has difficulty registering online can obtain a paper copy of the registration form. This can be requested by email to elections@stalbans.gov.uk or by phone on the number above.
Residents who are unable to get to a polling station on 3 May can apply to vote by post or proxy. Proxy voting allows you to nominate someone else to cast your vote for you, although you have to give a reason for this.
The deadline for postal vote applications is 5pm on Wednesday 18 April and to vote by proxy, it is 5pm on Wednesday 25 April 2018.
Forms to apply to vote by post or proxy are available from the registration office or at the Electoral Commission’s website at www.yourvotematters.co.uk.
Once completed, the paper registration forms and applications to vote by post and proxy need to be sent to: The Electoral Registration Officer, St Albans City and District Council, The Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans. AL1 3JE.
The Council has 58 Councillors who serve staggered four year terms with around a third of the seats coming up for election in three out of each four year cycle.
Details of candidates who are standing for election will be available on the Council’s website by no later than Monday 9 April.
More information about the elections is available here: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/voting-and-elections
Media contact:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 01727-296130, E-mail: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk
Note:
To vote in the District Council elections you must be registered to vote, 18 years old or over on polling day, and also be one of the following: a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union; a resident in the UK; and not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote.
The following cannot vote in a council election: anyone other than British, qualifying Commonwealth or European Union citizens; convicted persons detained in pursuance of their sentences, excluding contempt of court (though remand prisoners, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners can vote if they are on the electoral register); and anyone found guilty within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election.