We have today (Friday 15 March) published the Notice of Election for the Police and Crime Commissioner election, which will take place on Thursday 2 May.
To have your say on who gets elected you must be registered to vote. The deadline for registering is midnight on Tuesday 16 April. If you have not yet registered to vote, have recently moved house or turned 18, you will need to register in order to be able to vote. It takes just five minutes to apply online at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
If anyone is unsure if they are registered to vote or wants a hard copy of any of the application forms please call 020 8207 7481 or email elections@hertsmere.gov.uk.
Details of the candidates will be published at www.choosemypcc.org.uk as soon as possible after 4pm on Monday 8 April when they are confirmed, but it is down to individuals and their parties to promote themselves and why they want you to vote for them.
Residents have to bring photo ID to be able to vote at a polling station. They may already have a form of photo ID that is acceptable, including a passport, driving licence, blue badge, national identity card or an identity card with a PASS mark, in which case they’re ready to vote.
Residents who don’t have an accepted form of photo ID can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate either online or via a paper form. The deadline to apply is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April. To find out what ID is accepted, for more information on voter ID or how to apply for the Voter Authority Certificate, please visit our website: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/voterID or contact the council on 020 8207 7481.
Voting in person at a polling station
Poll cards are being delivered across the borough from Friday 15 March. The card tells you where you should vote – you can only vote at your allocated polling station.
You do not need your poll card to vote. If your poll card is misplaced, you can find your allocated polling station at: wheredoivote.co.uk or alternatively contact the Electoral Services team on 020 8207 7481 or email elections@hertsmere.gov.uk who will be able to tell you your poll station.
Remember, you must have valid photo ID to vote at your polling station this election. If you haven't checked your ID, please do that now. To find out what ID is accepted or for more information on voter ID, please visit our website: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/voterID or contact us on 020 8207 7481.
Voting by post
If you are registered for a postal vote you will be sent your ballot paper approximately two weeks before the election and you will need to post it back to us. To vote by post you need to apply, with forms completed and returned to us by 5pm on Wednesday 17 April.
For more information or to apply for a postal vote, please visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/waystovote
Please be aware from 2 May 2024, restrictions on the handling of postal votes by campaigners will apply. Voters will not be allowed to hand in more than five postal ballot packs (including their own). If a postal ballot pack is handed in at either a polling station or the civic offices, a form must be completed in order to be accepted. We advise you to ensure that your postal ballot pack is completed and sent back via Royal Mail to avoid any rejected postal ballots.
Voting by proxy
If you are unable to go to your polling station on election day you can register for a proxy vote, whereby someone you have given authority to can go and vote on the day on your behalf. You can have someone vote on your behalf is you're away on holiday, have to work away from home or are ill in hospital.
You can now apply online for some types of proxy vote. You need to prove your identity when applying, by providing your National Insurance number.
There are limits to how many people a voter can act as a proxy for. This means you can only act as a proxy for two people living in the UK. If you act as a proxy for people living overseas, you can act as proxy for up to four people but only two of these can be based in the UK.
To apply to a proxy vote, you will need to have completed a form and returned it to our Electoral Services team by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April. To apply for a proxy vote please visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/waystovote
Please remember that all nominated proxies will also require their own voter ID to vote on your behalf. For more information on voter ID, please visit our website: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/voterID or contact us on 020 8207 7481.
You can find out more about voting in general from www.hertsmere.gov.uk/waystovote
Posted on Friday 15th March 2024