Only days left to register to vote at local elections
Residents in the St Albans District have only days left to register to vote in important local elections.
Everyone aged 18 and above who is not registered at their current address should do so by midnight on Friday 12 April.
They will then be able to take part in elections for St Albans City and District Council on Thursday 2 May.
There are 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.
Voters will elect a Councillor in each of the 20 wards this year with an additional seat being contested in the Sopwell ward following a resignation. There will also be elections at town and parish councils across the District.
It barely takes five minutes to register at your current address by going online at www.gov.uk/registertovote.
The Electoral Commission has launched a campaign, supported by the Council, called Got 5? to publicise how easy it is to register.
People who were eligible to vote in last year’s District Council elections and whose details have not changed will still be registered. 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 days left now to make sure you can take part in the local elections.
It is particularly important that you act now if you have recently turned 18 or moved home. As our campaign says, it will only take five minutes and it can all be done online.
These elections allow residents to have a say on who represents them 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 www.yourvotematters.co.uk.
Details of candidates who are standing for election will be available no later than Thursday 4 April.
For more information about the elections, including the current political composition, please see: www.stalbans.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/.
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.