Today, Wednesday 15 March, we published the Notices of Election for elections (www.hertsmere.gov.uk/electionnotices), which will take place on Thursday 4 May.
With whole council elections taking place in Hertsmere, where all 39 borough council seats are going to the polls, as well as parish and town council elections, it is vital residents are ready to vote.
To have a say on who gets elected, residents must be registered to vote. The deadline to register is 11.59pm on Monday 17 April. If a resident has not yet registered to vote, has recently moved house, changed their name or just turned 18, they 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
For the first time, residents will now 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 Tuesday 25 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 Saturday 18 March. Anyone who has not received a poll card by Saturday 26 March please contact the Electoral Services team on 020 8207 7481 or email elections@hertsmere.gov.uk. 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 you lose your poll card, you can find your allocated polling station using our polling station finder at: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/waystovote
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 Tuesday 18 April. For more information or to apply for a postal vote, please visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/waystovote
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.
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 Tuesday 25 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 Wednesday 15th March 2023