Register to vote at local elections!
Everyone aged 18 and above is urged to secure their vote for important local elections in around six weeks’ time.
Voters will go to the polls on Thursday 3 May to elect a Councillor for each of St Albans City and District Council's 20 wards.
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.
If you are not registered to vote at your current address by midnight on Tuesday 17 April, you will not be able to have your say.
The Electoral Commission has launched a campaign called “Got 5?” to inform people it barely takes five minutes to register by going online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Mike Lovelady, the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, said:
Time is running out to make sure you can take part in the local elections. 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.
However, if you’re not registered by 17 April, you won’t be able to vote.
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.
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 also available from the registration office or at the Electoral Commission’s website at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter
The Council has 58 Councillors who serve staggered three 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 Monday 9 April.
More information about the elections is available here: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/voting-and-elections
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.