Postal votes sent out
Ballot papers have been sent out to postal voters for next month’s St Albans City and District Council elections.
Around 20,000 packs for people registered to vote by post have now been issued.
Elections take place on Thursday 2 May with a seat in each of the Council’s 20 wards to be contested as well as an additional seat in the Sopwell ward due to a resignation.
There are also elections for some seats on Harpenden Town Council as well as the Parish Councils of Colney Heath, London Colney, Sandridge and Redbourn.
Mike Lovelady, the Electoral Registration Officer, said:
I would ask postal voters to keep an eye out for the packs which are being delivered to them.
They should follow the instructions that include putting their date of birth and signature on the postal voting statement. This statement is kept separately from the ballot paper so their vote is always kept secret.
Completed ballot papers and postal vote statements should be placed in the pre-paid addressed envelope and returned to the District Council by 10pm on election day.
Voters unable to attend a polling station can register to vote by proxy. The deadline to apply is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.
A proxy vote allows someone you trust to vote on your behalf. You must give a reason why you are unable to attend the polling station such as a work commitment.
Forms to apply to vote by proxy are available on the Electoral Commission’s website, www.yourvotematters.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can ask for a paper form to be sent to you by contacting the elections team on 01727 819294 or by emailing elections@stalbans.gov.uk
Forms should be returned to the Electoral Registration Officer, St Albans City and District Council, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3JE, or the email address above.
The District 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.
For more information about the elections, including the candidates and the Council’s current political composition, please see: www.stalbans.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/.
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.