Hertfordshire residents urged to register for local elections before upcoming deadline
The Electoral Commission is urging the public to ensure they are registered to vote ahead of local elections in England on May 1.
Candidates will be vying for ten seats on Hertfordshire County Council, with one for each of the following wards – Bishop’s Stortford East, Bishop’s Stortford Rural, Bishop’s Stortford West, Buntingford, Hertford All Saints, Hertford Rural, Hertford St Andrews, Sawbridgeworth, Ware North and Ware South.
Applications to register to vote must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 11.59pm on Friday, April 11. Applications can be made online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Registering takes just five minutes, and voters will need to provide their name, address and national insurance number.
Anyone wishing to make a postal vote should contact the Electoral Registration Officer at East Herts Council, Wallfields, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8EQ by 5pm on Monday, April 14. Applications can also be made online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.
A person can register to vote if they are aged 18 or over on polling day, a British citizen resident in the UK, or an Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen resident in the UK.
Around 13 million people are estimated to be eligible to vote at this year’s May elections. Yet according to the latest research as many as 14% of people across England are either incorrectly registered or missing from the register entirely.
Jackie Killeen, Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation at the Electoral Commission, said: “Only people registered to vote can have their say at the May elections on issues important to their local areas.
“It’s also important that voters remember to bring their photo ID to polling stations. Anyone that does not have an accepted form can apply for free voter ID until 23 April.”
Commission research shows that young people, students and those who have recently moved are less likely to be registered.
Almost 470,000 applications to register have already been made in England since February 17 when the Commission’s voter registration campaign began.
Anyone previously on the register who has recently moved home or whose details have changed will need to register to vote again.