Less than a week left to register to vote in Peterborough elections

Residents have less than a week left to ensure they are registered to vote in Peterborough elections.
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Residents have until 5pm on Monday, 19 April, to register to vote in the elections, when councillors will be elected for the following wards: Barnack, Bretton, Central, Dogsthorpe, East, Eye, Thorney & Newborough, Fletton & Stanground, Fletton & Woodston (2 seats), Glinton & Castor, Gunthorpe, Hampton Vale, Hargate & Hempsted, North, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Park, Paston & Walton, Ravensthorpe, Stanground South, Werrington, West and Wittering.

Anyone not on the register by then will not be able to vote.

The elections are taking place on Thursday, May 6.

Elections are taking place on May 6Elections are taking place on May 6
Elections are taking place on May 6
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Registering to vote is easy and takes less than five minutes. You can do so by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

There are a number of ways to have your say on polling day.

Residents who would like to cast their vote in person can be assured that polling stations will accommodate voting in a socially distanced and Covid-safe manner. Voters will be asked to:

- wear a face covering

- bring their own pen or pencil

- use hand sanitiser, which will be available in each station, as they enter and leave

- keep a two-metre distance away from others when entering or leaving the polling station.

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At each polling venue screens for polling clerks will be set up. Frequent touch points – like door handles and voting booth tables – will be cleaned regularly.

Those residents who would prefer to vote by post - particularly those who have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable - have until 5pm on Tuesday, 20 April to register.

Registering for a postal vote is easy. You must be registered to vote first, and you can apply to vote by post for a particular election, a set period of time or for all future elections. More information about how to apply for a postal vote can be found at https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/elections/postal-votes.

If you are unable to get to the polling station, or do not wish to attend in person, you can also apply for a proxy vote which means that you can appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf.

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In order to vote by proxy, you will need to fill in an application form which clearly shows your signature and date of birth.

The deadline for applying to vote by proxy is six working days (Tuesday 27 April at 5pm) before polling day, although legislation has been introduced to support people affected by Covid-19 by allowing them to apply for an emergency proxy vote up to 5pm on 6 May itself.

You can find out more about voting by proxy at https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/elections/proxy-votes

Rachel Edwards, Peterborough City Council’s Head of Constitutional Services, said: “We want to make sure that no-one misses out on their right to take part in the elections. If you want your voice to be heard, make sure you’re on the electoral register. People often think they’re automatically registered if they pay council tax, but that isn’t the case.

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“I do want to reassure residents who would like to visit their local polling station to cast their vote that it will be safe to do so. However, we understand that some people may prefer to stay at home so I’d like to encourage residents to apply for their postal or proxy vote if they would prefer.”

For more information on the elections visit https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/elections

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on the council’s website, you can also call the elections helpline on 01733 452249 or email [email protected].

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