How Do I Know When an Election Is Coming Up?

Elections

Elections are cyclical, usually every four to five years. We organise a number of elections including parish, district, county, police and crime commissioner for Derbyshire, parliamentary and European. In 2011 the AV Referendum took place where the electorate were given a yes/no choice rather than voting for a candidate.

How do I know when an election is coming up?

Whenever an election is coming up you will see an increase in publicity in the media, political parties will be canvassing support and statutory notices are published.

Every member of your household, who is eligible to vote will also receive pre polling information advising whether they will receive a postal vote or where to vote in person, provided they are on the electoral register.

If you are voting in person you do not need to take your polling card with you to vote but it does help.

What is the Electoral Register?The Electoral Register contains the names and addresses of all those who have registered to vote within Bolsover District.

On 10 June 2014 the way we register to vote changed and now each of us is responsible for ourown individual registration. In order to minimise the impact on electors during the transition all records were matched to Government held data. Where records matched these electors were confirmed onto the new IER record, those which did not were sent invitations to register.

All new applicants to register must supply their date of birth and national insurance number, or other suitable evidence if these cannot be supplied. The good news is that this can be done online at

In the autumn household enquiry forms will be sent to every residential property requesting the names of those residing in the house whoare eligible to vote. Householders can respond via the internet, by telephone or by text instead of returning the paper copy. New applicants will be sent an invitation to register. Please make sure you respond as soon as possible as this helps to keep costs down and we are required by law to keep requesting the information if it hasn’t been returned. Even if you don’t want to vote, you should make sure that you are on the electoral roll as it can affect your ability to obtain credit if you are not.

Reminders are issued to households who have not responded and visits are carried out by electoral canvassers. The revised Electoral Register is published on 1December each year.

Two versions are prepared.

• The Full Register lists everybody who is eligible to vote,copies are available at our Contact Centres for public inspection in accordance with legal requirements. Inspection of the register is under supervision.

• The open version leaves out names and addresses of people who have made a request to be excluded from this version of the register. The open version can be bought by anyone for any purpose.

If you move house you can apply to be registered in respect of your new address. This process can take up to one month.

Once an election has been called and you find out that you are not currently registered you can apply to register up to 12 days before the election.

Why should I register to vote?

It is a legal requirement to register. If you are not registered you will not be able to vote at any election.You are not automatically registered even if you pay Council Tax.

Many of the major credit firms check your address against the electoral register and you may be refused a loan, mobile phone agreement, mortgage, bank account, etc, if you are not registered.

It is also your chance to have your say about how the Council or the government is run.

If you move home, have changed your name or find you are not registered, then please contact us immediately and we will issue you with the appropriate form.

I don’t live at home – can I still vote?

Under certain circumstances, examples are if you are British citizen living overseas you can register as an overseas elector and vote in Parliamentary or European Parliamentary elections for up to a period of 15 years after you have left the UK.

If you are serving in the armed forces or with Her Majesty's Government then you will be entitled to vote in Parliamentary, Local and European Elections in the UK.

In order to register as a service/crown voter you will need to complete a Service/Crown Declaration. The service declaration is valid for five years but the crown declaration must be completed each year you are abroad.

This is available from your unit or from electoral registration officers.You can also register online at

You need to register at an address where you have lived in the past or where you would live if you were not posted overseas.You cannot vote if you are in prison.

If you are homeless but have a connection with the area you can complete a Local Connection declaration form. This is an annual declaration.

What if I am unable to vote on the day of the election?

You may still be able to vote even if you are unable to get to your polling station on election day.

These are the options available:

• applying for a postal vote. This can either be for a particular election or an indefinite period. The postal vote is posted to you approximately one week before polling day. You can apply for a postal vote up to 5 pm 11 days before the election.

• Theother option providing there is a good reason why you cannot vote in person, you can apply for a proxy vote up to 6 days before the election (someone who votes on your behalf).This is the best option for members of the armed forces who may be posted abroad at very short notice.

• Appointing an emergency proxy, this is suitable for those who have unexpectedly taken ill after the deadline for normal proxy appointments or where your work commitments prevent you from attending in person. You can apply up to 5 pm on polling day but these applications need to be attested by a person specified on the form, e.g. doctor or employer and must be delivered to the Arc in Clowne.

If you wish to apply for a proxy vote or a postal vote please contact us immediately on 01246 242427 0r 242535and we will issue you with the appropriate form(s).

Can I stand as a candidate at the next election?

To qualify as a candidate for local elections you must:

• Be a British or Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of the European Union.
• Be 18 years of age or more on the date of nomination
• Not be disqualified from holding office.

Candidates also have to meet one or more of the following criteria:

• They must be included on the electoral register and be a local government elector for the area on the date of nominations.
• They must have occupied, as owner or tenant, any land or other premises in the area during the twelve months prior to nominations.
• Their principal or only place of work must have been in the area for the previous twelve months.
• They must have resided in the area for the whole of the previous twelve months.
• For Parish elections, they must have resided in the area, or within three miles of the area for the whole of the previous twelve months.

A candidate for all local elections must complete a nomination paper in order to stand for election.

The nomination paper has to be signed by the requisite number of electors who live within the electoral ward, parish or division and must be returned by the statutory deadline together with the candidate’s consent to nomination.These papers must come to the Arc.

Although most candidates are nominated through a political party, individuals can stand for election in their own right.

Our standards are

• To meet or exceed the national performance standards set by Electoral Commission for Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers in respect of electoral registration and elections and in accordance with legislation.

July 2015