Elections on Thursday 7 May: make sure you are registered to vote and have photo ID
Residents in the St Albans District have only a few days left to register to vote for important local elections.
They should also check whether they have valid photo ID as this will have to be shown at polling stations.
The elections are for St Albans City and District Council with one seat up for election in 18 of the 20 wards.
There are also two seats up for election in both St Stephen and Sandridge & Wheathampstead wards.
Everyone aged 18 and above who is not registered at their current address should do so by midnight on Monday 20 April.
It takes only a few minutes to register at your current address by going online here.
Anyone who has difficulty going online can obtain a paper copy of the registration form by contacting the Council’s Electoral Services Team by email, elections@stalbans.gov.uk, or by phone, 01727 819294.
People who were eligible to vote in last year’s elections and whose details have not changed will still be registered and should have received a poll card.
If they’ve not received a poll card, they can check their registration status by contacting the Electoral Services team.
Amanda Foley, the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, said:
We are asking residents to make sure they can vote at this May’s elections.
They must be registered by the deadline and we would particularly advise people who have recently turned 18 or changed their home address to ensure they are.
Everyone voting at a polling station must show approved photo ID. They should check if they can provide this and, if not, they should apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
All of these checks and applications only take a few minutes or so and it can all be done online.
These elections will allow residents to have a say on who represents them on vital issues that affect their day-to-day life, so it is important that they secure their vote.
Voter ID
Voters are required to present an approved form of photo ID in order to vote at a polling station. This includes a current or expired UK passport or driver’s licence as long as the photograph is a true likeness.
Anyone who does not have one of the accepted types of ID can apply for free ID online.
Details of approved photo ID and how to apply for free ID, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, are available on poll cards and on the Electoral Commission’s website.
The deadline for applying for the Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.
Voting by post or proxy
Residents who are unable to get to a polling station on Thursday 7 May and wish to vote by post are asked to check their poll card to see whether they have a postal vote in place.
Postal votes now last a maximum of three years before they need to be renewed.
Postal vote packs are due to be despatched between 15 April and 27 April and must be completed and returned by 10pm on 7 May.
The deadline for applying to vote by post, or for amending an existing postal or proxy vote, is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April.
For applying to vote by proxy, the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.
In certain circumstances, an emergency proxy vote can be applied for up until 5pm on the day of the election.
Most types of postal and proxy vote can be applied for online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.
Forms to apply to vote by post or proxy are also available from the Council’s Electoral Services team or from the Electoral Commission’s website.
Further information
More information about the elections is available here.
A list of candidates nominated for the St Albans City and District Council elections will be published after 4pm on Thursday 9 April and will be made available on this webpage under Election Notices.
Media Contacts: www.stalbans.gov.uk/news-and-whats