The following message has been received regarding the forthcoming local elections.
Steve Rose, Parish Clerk
s you may be aware, elections for the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Durham Police area and the Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayor are taking place on Thursday 2 May 2024, and the Notices of Election were published on 22 and 19 March 2024, respectively.
There are a number of changes that will affect how people vote in the elections – one change that came in for last year’s local lelections was the requirement for voters to take photo ID with them to vote in person at a Polling Station. Anyone that does not have suitable photo ID can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate – either online or in person at the Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington. DL1 5QT
Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
There are also changes to voting by post and by proxy and postal vote handling rules from May, including:-
- Voters will only be able to hand in their own postal vote and the postal vote of up to five others, at a polling station or at the Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington, DL1 5QT;
- When handing in postal votes, it will be necessary to complete a form before they can be accepted – if a form is not completed then the postal vote(s) will be rejected;
- The extension of the secrecy requirements which apply at polling stations are being extended to postal and proxy votes and it will be an offence to try and find out how someone has voted; and
- Voters can only act as a proxy on behalf of four electors, which no more than two of them can be domestic electors.
The Electoral Commission has Voter ID, Postal Voting and Secrecy campaigns ongoing and we are keen to support those campaigns where possible to ensure all our residents are aware of these changes. As part of the campaign the Electoral Commission have produced a number of posters and I wondered if it would be possible to display any/all of the attached posters and the Notices of Election on the Parish Council website, noticeboards in the Parish or any other suitable locations.
We would also like to stress that there will be support for disabled voters at all polling stations too – details of which can be found on our website at: https://www.darlington.gov.uk/elections/the-elections-act-2022/ – click on ‘Accessibility at polling stations’ which also offers information on other ways people can vote.
Further information on the Elections, including the key dates, and changes being introduced as a result of the Elections Act 2022, can be found on the Council’s website via the links below:-
https://www.darlington.gov.uk/pcc
Darlington BC – The Elections Act 2022