Register to vote at local elections
Everyone aged 18 and above is urged to take five minutes to secure their vote for important local elections.
Voters will go to the polls on Thursday 2 May to elect a Councillor in each of St Albans City and District Council's 20 wards. There will also be elections for town and parish councils throughout the District.
To be able to have a say, people must be registered at their current address by midnight on Friday 12 April.
The Electoral Commission has launched a campaign – supported by the Council - called Got 5?.
This is to inform people it takes barely five minutes to register by going online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
A series of adverts will spread the Got 5? message by suggesting it is as quick and easy to register as it is to run a bath, fill a washing machine or wait for nail polish to dry.
There will be advertising on social media, TV, radio and outdoor locations including bus stops and train stations.
People who were eligible to vote in last year’s District Council elections and whose details have not changed will still be registered to vote. They can check by calling the Council’s registration office on 01727 819294.
Mike Lovelady, the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, said:
There are only a few weeks left to make sure you can take part in the local elections.
If you have recently turned 18 or moved home, it’s particularly important that you act to ensure you are registered. It will only take five minutes and it can all be done online.
These elections are an opportunity to make your voice heard and have a say on who represents you on issues that directly affect day-to-day life in St Albans.
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 2 May can apply to vote by post or proxy.
The deadline for postal vote applications is 5pm on Monday 15 April and to vote by proxy, it is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.
Forms to apply to vote by post or proxy are also available from the Council’s elections office or at the Electoral Commission’s website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/your-vote-matters
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 no later than Thursday 4 April.
Contact for the media:
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.