Deadline to register for local Wiltshire elections nears

People living in Wiltshire are being reminded that they have until Friday 11th April to register to vote in the upcoming local elections.

Elections are taking place in the county on 1st May, with seats at Wiltshire Council and Town, City and Parish Councils all being decided.

We're also told that we will need photo ID on the day to cast our vote.

Anyone who has moved home recently or is moving in the next three weeks must register at their new address by the deadline.

Polls open from 7am on 1st May, closing at 10pm, before being counted and results confirmed on Friday 2nd May.

Returning Officer for Wiltshire, Lucy Townsend, said: “Local elections may seem small to some, but they have a big impact. Your vote in local elections directly impacts your community, so I strongly encourage everyone eligible to ensure they are registered to vote.

“Voting in local elections will have an impact on who makes the decisions that will affect people’s day to day lives. It only takes a few minutes to register to vote.

“Our advice for those wishing to vote by post is to apply as soon as possible, and for everyone planning to vote on election day itself is to make sure they have valid photo ID or apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. Veteran Cards are now an accepted form of ID and can be used in this election.

“We’ll be organising more elections in Wiltshire than most other areas in the country and behind the scenes my team will be working round the clock to ensure a smooth election process for residents.”

For a list of accepted forms of photo ID people should visit https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id.

The key dates for the elections are:

• People have until midnight on Friday 11 April to register to vote if they’re not already registered – https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

• People have until 5pm on Monday 14 April to apply for a postal vote – https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.

• People have until 5pm on Monday 14 April to change or cancel an existing postal or proxy vote.

• People have until 5pm on Wednesday 23 April to apply for a new proxy vote (for someone to vote on their behalf) - https://www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.

• People have until 5pm on Wednesday 23 April if they want to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (if they don’t have photo ID) – https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

• Polls are open on Thursday 1 May from 7am – 10pm

• Election results confirmed Friday 2 – Saturday 3 May

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