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Elections on Thursday 4 May: make sure you are registered to vote and have photo ID

Publication date:

Residents in St Albans District have only a few weeks left to register to vote in important local elections.

Everyone aged 18 and above who is not registered at their current address should do so by midnight on Monday 17 April.

They will then be able to take part in elections for St Albans City and District Council on Thursday 4 May and Parish and Town Council elections that are being held on the same day.

It takes only a few minutes to register at your current address by going online at www.gov.uk/registertovote.

People who were eligible to vote in last year’s elections and whose details have not changed will still be registered. They can check by calling the Council’s registration office on 01727 819294.

This year, new legislation requires voters to present an approved form of photo ID in order to vote at a polling station. This includes a UK passport or driver’s licence.

Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for free ID online.

Details of approved photo ID and how to apply for free ID, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, are available on the Electoral Commission’s website here.

The deadline for applying for the Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April.

The Parish and Town Councils holding elections are Colney Heath, Harpenden, Harpenden Rural, London Colney, Redbourn, St Michael, St Stephen, Sandridge and Wheathampstead. These councils have powers over many local matters including some open spaces and community buildings.

Amanda Foley, St Albans City and District Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, said:

We are asking our residents to spend a few minutes checking whether they can vote at this May’s elections.

First of all, they should make sure they registered by the deadline. We would particularly advise people who have recently turned 18 or changed their home address to do this.

Secondly, this year everyone voting at a polling station must show approved photo ID. They should check if they can provide this and, if not, they should apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

All of these checks and applications only take five minutes or so and it can all be done online.

These elections will allow residents to have a say on who represents them on vital issues that affect their day-to-day life such as waste services, social housing, parks and green spaces, and planning. So, it is important that our residents secure their vote.

Anyone who has difficulty registering online can obtain a paper copy of the registration form. This can be requested by email to elections@stalbans.gov.uk or by phone on the number above.

Residents who are unable to get to a polling station on Thursday 4 May can apply to vote by post or proxy.

The deadline for postal vote applications is 5pm on Tuesday 18 April and to vote by proxy, it is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April. In certain circumstances, an emergency proxy vote can be applied for up until 5pm on the day of the elections.

Forms to apply to vote by post or proxy are also available from the Council’s elections team or at the Electoral Commission’s website, www.yourvotematters.co.uk.

The District Council has 56 Councillors who serve staggered four-year terms with around a third of the seats coming up for election in three out of each four-year cycle. The full list of candidates will be published by 4pm on Wednesday 5 April.

This year, voters will elect a Councillor in 18 of the 20 District wards with no District Council election taking place in Colney Heath and Marshalswick West.

You can find more information about the elections, please see: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/elections-thursday-4-may-2023.

Media Contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.