Cheshire East urges people to have their say this 4th May

Cheshire East Council is urging people to ensure they are registered to vote – so they don’t miss out on having their say in the local elections on 4th May.

And the message from Cheshire East is: If you’re not registered to vote, you can’t vote –so you won’t have a voice.

If you are not registered, you could miss out on being able to vote in the upcoming polls for your local town, parish and borough councils.

Local government elections select councillors, who are responsible for making decisions on running services in your local area. These include social care, education, housing, transport, planning, parks, leisure, public safety and waste management.

To be able to vote in these important elections, residents must be on the electoral register. Cheshire East Council is actively supporting the Electoral Commission’s drive to boost voter registration and is urging people, who have not registered at their current address, to make sure they do so in good time. 

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 17 April.

Anyone can apply via the gov.uk website  – and it takes just five minutes. 

Dr Lorraine O’Donnell, who is the Returning Officer for elections in the borough, said: “I would urge people not to leave it too late to register to vote. Time is running out to make sure you can take part in the local elections. 

“These polls are an important opportunity for people to make their voice heard and have a say on who represents our communities on issues that affect life here in Cheshire East every day. If you’re not registered by 17 April, you won’t be able to vote.

“Registered voters will also need to provide valid ID to cast their ballots in person at polling stations. So, I would urge everyone of voting age to take just a few minutes to ensure that they are registered to vote and check they have valid ID, as required by new central government legislation.”

Voter ID is not necessary for those voting by postal ballots.
People can check that they have an accepted form of ID via the Electoral Commission website. Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID online via the gov.uk website, or can complete a paper form, before the deadline of 5pm on Tuesday 25 April.

If you were registered to vote in the last election and your details have not changed, you will still be registered to vote. If in doubt, check your details by giving Cheshire East Council a call on 0300 123 5016.

The deadlines to apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote are also looming:

• The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 18 April. Completed forms must be received by the Cheshire East Council elections team before this deadline.
• The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April. Completed forms must be received by the Cheshire East Council elections team before this deadline.

Remember: registering to vote does not mean you have to – it just means you don’t lose out on the opportunity to do so.

On election day, Thursday 4 May, polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm. Information about voting at this election is available here: 

Electoral Commission's 'voter' webpage. 

Polling cards will be delivered to all registered electors later this month.