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Electoral Commission:- 10 most common registration questions answered

THE Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance at the Electoral Commission, Ailsa Irvine, has answered the ten most common questions about registering to vote ahead of the 26 November 2019 Deadline.

Part of our job here at the Electoral Commission is helping people to understand how to register and cast their votes at an election. Registering is easy and there are a number of ways you can vote in the upcoming poll.

Here are ten points that can help voters understand the options available to them at the 2019 General Election.

► Who can vote in a UK General Election?

"You can vote in a UK General Election if you are 18 years old or over, and:-

1. A UK or Irish Citizen.

2 . A qualifying Commonwealth Citizen, living in the UK.

You need to be on the electoral register before you'll be able to vote."

► Does it take long to register?

"Registering to vote is quick and easy, and you can do it online at:- Gov.UK/Register-To-Vote. It only takes 5 minutes, and all you need is your address, date of birth and national insurance number. The deadline to register to vote for the General Election is 26 November 2019."

► How do I check if I am registered to vote?

"To check if you are registered to vote, you will need to contact the Electoral Registration Team for your Local Authority. You can find the contact details for your Local Authority via:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK. Simply entering your postcode."

► How can I cast my vote in a General Election?

"If you are registered to vote, you can cast your vote at your Local Polling Station on 12 December 2019 (between 7am and 10pm). You will be sent a poll card in advance of Polling Day telling you where your Local Polling Station is. Alternatively, you could apply for a postal or proxy vote. To locate your Polling Station go to:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK."

► What are the rules and deadlines for applying for a postal vote?

"Voting by post is an easy and convenient way of voting if you are unable to get to the Polling Station. You can find more information on postal voting go to:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK. Anyone in England, Scotland and Wales can apply for a postal vote. You don't need to provide a reason, unless you are voting in Northern Ireland. You can find the form to register for a postal vote in Great Britain visit:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK. Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed it, you need to send it to the Electoral Registration Team for your Local Council. You can find their contact details by entering your postcode. You can send your form by post. The Electoral Registration Team at your Local Council should also be able to accept a scanned copy of your form by email, but it's worth double checking with them 1st. Details for applying in Northern Ireland can be found online at:- EONI.Org.UK/Vote. The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm, on 26 November 2019, in Great Britain, and 5pm, on 21 November 2019, in Northern Ireland."

► What are the rules and deadlines for applying for a proxy vote?

"Proxy voting means that if you aren't able to cast your vote in person, you can appoint someone you trust to cast your vote for you. They must go to your Polling Station to cast your vote, or they could apply to vote on your behalf by post. To apply for a proxy vote, you have to complete a form and give a reason why you can't get to your Polling Station in person. This may be because you're going to be on holiday, or have a physical condition which means you can't get to your Polling Station on Polling Day. Find more information and download the form for a proxy vote go to:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK. Anyone can be your proxy as long as they are eligible to vote in the election and they are willing to vote on your behalf. Your proxy cannot be a proxy for more than 2 people, at any 1 election, unless they are a close relative. The rules and forms for are applying in Northern Ireland are slightly different and can be found on:- EONI.Org.UK. Once you have completed the form, you need to send it to the Electoral Registration Team for your Local Council. You can find their contact details here by entering your postcode. You can send your form by post. The Electoral Registration Team at your Local Council should also be able to accept a scanned copy of your form by email, but it's worth double checking with them 1st. The deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 5pm, on 4 December 2019, in Great Britain, and 5pm, on 21 November 2019, in Northern Ireland. The deadline for postal proxy applications is 5pm, on 26 November 2019."

► Can voters, such as students, be registered at more than 1 address?

"It is possible in certain circumstances for someone to be lawfully registered to vote at more than one address. This could include, for example, students who have different home and term time addresses. The Electoral Registration Officer at your Local Council must be satisfied that you are resident at an address before confirming your registration there. However, it is an offence to cast more than 1 vote on your own behalf in a UK Parliamentary General Election. This offence carries a penalty of an unlimited fine in England and Wales, or a fine of up to ₤5,000 in Scotland."

► What if I am moving house?

"When you move house you need to re-register at your new address. If your move date is between the registration deadline and Polling Day, you will still be able to vote at your old address. If you are unable to return, you can apply to vote by post and have your postal vote sent to your new address, or you can apply to vote by proxy."

► What if I live overseas?

"If you are a UK citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter. You must have been living in the UK within the last 15 years and have been registered to vote before you left the UK. If you were too young to be registered when you left the UK, you can still register as an overseas voter. You can do this if you last lived in the UK within the last 15 years and your parent or guardian was registered to vote in the UK. If you were previously resident in Great Britain, you can register to vote online at:- Gov.UK. Anyone registering as an overseas elector for an address in Northern Ireland cannot register online. However, you can complete and return the form to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, via:- EONI.Org.UK. More information for overseas voters looking to vote by post, proxy or in person can be found on:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK."

► What if I have no fixed address?

"You can still register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address. There are a number of options depending on your circumstances. For more information visit:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK."


Should you require more information you can visit:- ElectoralCommission.Org.UK.

What is the speed on the Formby By Pass?

OVER the last few weeks road safety reports have been released and the published reports have shown that A565, or as it is better known, the Formby By Pass, has seen the highest number of collisions involving injuries on Merseyside. This news also comes as we have had locals questioning the speed limits in the area. The residents from Maghull, Ormskirk, Southport, Crosby and Formby have all been asking similar questions, not just about the A565, but in other areas as well. For example, the speed limit warning signs, which are normally found when the speed changes on a stretch of a major road, it is to be noted that on the A565, Scaffold Lane section, whilst heading towards Ince Woods from Formby, the 50 mph sign is located just as you enter Ince Woods, but the speed limit now has actually changed before that, about three quarters of the way down, from the Formby roundabout, between the New Causeway and the new Weld Blundell Starbucks. The speed signs look the same as all the other 60 mph repeater signs, so if you are looking, as you should, ahead and not at every speed limit sign, it makes you question the reasons behind these changes. This sudden change, when spotted has started to resulted in drivers braking suddenly whilst others, unaware of the change, carry on at the speed they expect it to be at. Also, SatNav speed guides often give the wrong speed limits, so cannot be relied on as a check or a guide. This is not the only location in Sefton where this happens, and it also is a major problem around Ormskirk. Other readers are questioning Sefton's 'strange' use of the 20 mph zones, and are asking if they are being wrongly used. We would love to hear your thoughts about the notification of speed limits, use of speed limits, along with the enforcement of them. Are these issues in fact becoming a major part of the problems on our roads so that instead of reducing accidents, they may, in fact, be inviting them Also, should traffic lights use a flashing amber system, like they do in France at night and at times of low traffic levels? Please email us your thoughts to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.