With elections for both regional and local Welsh Assembly Government members and the first UK-wide referendum in over 30 years taking place on Thursday 5 May, the Vale of Glamorgan Council is urging its residents to be ready to have their say.
The referendum is on the voting system used for elections to the UK Parliament. The question being put to voters on 5 May is:
“At present, the UK uses the ’first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ’alternative vote’ system be used instead?”
With several bank holidays coming up, residents who are going to be away on 5 May can apply to vote by post or by proxy.
Leader of the council, Gordon Kemp, said: “Now is the time to make sure you are registered to vote and to apply for a postal or proxy vote.
“People don’t always realise that they can have their say in different ways, including by post or by asking someone you trust (a ‘proxy’) to cast your vote for you. So if you are going to be away on Thursday 5 May, take a few minutes now to make sure you get your chance to vote.”
Deadlines are:
- Registering to vote: 5pm on Thursday 14 April 2011
- Applying to vote by post: 5pm on Thursday 14 April 2011
- Applying to vote by proxy: 5pm on Thursday 21 April 2011
To check if you are already registered to vote, contact the council’s Electoral Services team on 01446 709748 or 709570 or email [email protected]
To download forms for registering to vote or applying to vote by post or by proxy, please visit http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/.
People who have moved house or teenagers who have just turned 18 are most at risk of not appearing on the electoral register.
