Elections – frequently asked questions
- Who is eligible to vote?
- I have been told I am not on the Register of Electors. What is the Register of Electors?
- How do I get my name onto the Electoral Register in time to vote at Elections on 3rd May?
- How can I find out whether I am on the Electoral Register?
- What do I do if I am not on the Register?
- I am on the Register at my old address. What do I do now?
- What if I cannot get to the polling station on Election day?
- Do I have to give a reason for requesting a postal vote?
- What if I make a mistake and spoil my postal ballot paper
- What if I asked for a postal vote and it did not arrive?
- It's poll day and I haven't posted my postal vote, what can I do?
- Can I vote at any polling station?
- I don't know where my polling station is. How can I find out?
- Must I have a poll card to vote?
- I don't know who my candidates are, how can I find out?
- If I make a mistake on the ballot paper in the polling station, can I have a new ballot paper?
- Why do the staff in the polling station write down my electoral number before they give me a ballot paper?
- If I become ill in the week before poll day and cannot get to the polling station in person can I still vote?
- What is a proxy vote?
- How do I get a proxy vote?
- Can anyone vote as a proxy?
- The person I want to ask to vote by proxy for me cannot get to the polling station very easily. What should they do?
You must be eighteen years or over (if you are 18 on the day of the election
you can vote in that election)
All British, Irish and other European Union citizens
All Commonwealth citizens
Overseas electors
Members of HM Forces and their spouses
Crown servants employed outside the United Kingdom
In addition to this, your name must be on the electoral register being used for the election on 3rd May 2007
I have been told I am not on the Register of Electors. What is the Register of Electors?
The Electoral Register is a list compiled by the local Electoral Registration Officer of people eligible to vote at elections within Oswestry Borough. The Register is a public document and can be inspected at the Council Offices, Castle View, Oswestry, Shropshire.
How do I get my name onto the Electoral Register in time to vote at Elections on 3rd May?
By completing an elector registration form. You can download an electoral registration form by clicking here. Your name will then appear on the Register within two to six weeks of you submitting your form - the Register is usually updated at the beginning of each month from any new details received up to approximately the tenth day of the month before.
For the 3rd May poll day we must receive your application form before the 18th April, 2007.
We will write to tell you when your application is allowed. Any elector can object to your name being added to the Register, but if this happens we will write to you.
How can I find out whether I am on the Electoral Register?
You can check the Register of Electors at the Council Offices, Castle View, Oswestry, Shropshire. Alternatively, you can call the elections helpline on 01691 677208 or e-mail us at electoralservices@oswestry-bc.gov.uk
What do I do if I am not on the Register?
All you have to do is complete an elector registration form or call the elections helpline on 01691 677208 or e-mail us at electoralservices@oswestry-bc.gov.uk. You can download an electoral registration form by clicking here.
I am on the Register at my old address. What do I do now?
You will need to complete an elector registration form for your new address. You can download an electoral registration form by clicking here. Your name will then appear on the Register within two to six weeks of receiving your form - the Register is usually updated at the beginning of each month from any new details received up to approximately the tenth day of the month before. We must receive this form by the 18th April 2007.
You will need to go back to the polling station at your previous address in order to vote at the elections on 3rd May. If you are now unable to get back to this polling station you may apply for a postal vote up to the eleventh day before polling day – that's the 18th April for this election. You can download an application form by clicking here.
What if I cannot get to the polling station on Election day?
If you are unable to get to your polling station on election (or poll) day, you can apply for an Absent Vote.
There are two types:
Postal Vote - where your ballot paper is sent to you at the address you request. You can download an application form by clicking here. Completed applications must be received by the Electoral Registration Officer no later than 5.00 pm on 18th April if they are to be effective for the election on 3rd May 2007
Proxy Vote - where you nominate someone to go to the polling station and vote on your behalf. Contact the elections helpline on 01691 677208 or e-mail us at electoralservices@oswestry-bc.gov.uk for more information and an application form.
Do I have to give a reason for requesting a postal vote?
A postal vote is available on demand and can be until further notice, for a particular election only or last for a specific period. You do not need to give a reason for asking if the postal vote is being sent to your normal address. The application has to be in writing and you have to sign it and give your date of birth. An application form can be downloaded by clicking here. Applications cannot be accepted after 5pm on the 18th April 2007 to be effective at this election.
If you already have a postal vote and you want your ballot paper to be sent to an address other than the one at which you are registered to vote, you have to tell us the reason why you want to do this. We can refuse to send your ballot paper to the address you request if we are not satisfied with the reason given. We will tell you if this is the case.
What if I make a mistake and spoil my postal ballot paper?
If you make a mistake when you are voting on your postal ballot paper, you can ask for another one. To do this, you must contact the election helpline (01691 677208) as quickly as possible as there is only a limited time in which to get a new ballot paper to you. Before you can have a replacement, all the documents that came with your original ballot (including the ballot paper itself) have to be delivered to the Returning Officer.
If you need a replacement ballot paper or any of the other documents that came with your postal vote, call the elections helpline on 01691 677208 as quickly as possible. Replacements cannot be provided after 5.00 pm on the day of the election.
What if I asked for a postal vote and it did not arrive?
If you asked for a postal vote and one does not arrive you must contact the elections helpline (01691 677208) as quickly as possible as there is only a limited time in which to get a postal vote to you.
When you applied to vote by post, the Electoral Registration Officer would have sent you a letter to tell you that your application had been received and accepted. If you did not get a letter telling you this, then your application was probably not received by the Electoral Registration Officer.
If you think you should have received a postal vote and you haven't received it at least four working days before poll day, call the elections helpline on 01691 677208 immediately.
It's poll day and I haven't posted my postal vote, what can I do
You must post your postal vote in sufficient time so that it can be delivered by the Royal Mail to the Returning Officer by 10.00 pm on poll day. You are, however, advised to post your ballot paper at least two days before poll day to give sufficient time for it to be delivered to the Returning Officer. You can, of course, deliver it in person to the Returning Officer at the Council Offices, Castle View, Oswestry, Shropshire at any time up until 10.00 pm on the day of the election. Please do not deliver to any other Oswestry Borough Council office particularly on the day of the election.
You can also deliver your postal vote (not just the ballot paper but its envelope and the postal voting statement) to any polling station in the ward in which you are registered to vote on poll day. To find out the location of polling stations in your ward you can call the elections helpline on 01691 677208 or go to www.myelection.co.uk/oswestry/where and type in your house name or number and postcode to discover the location of the polling station to which you can deliver your postal vote on the poll day.
Can I vote at any polling station?
No, you can only vote at the polling station which has your name on their Register. Details of your polling station will be on your poll card or go to www.myelection.co.uk/oswestry/where and type in your house name or number and postcode to discover the location of your polling station.
I don't know where my polling station is. How can I find out?
Call the elections helpline 01691 677208 or go to www.myelection.co.uk/oswestry/where and type in your house name or number and your postcode to discover the location of your polling station.
Must I have a poll card to vote?
No, although it will help the polling station staff to quickly find your name on the Register.
I don't know who my candidates are, how can I find out?
To find out the names of the candidates that you can choose to vote for at this election you can either go to www.myelection.co.uk/oswestry/who and enter your house name or number and postcode or you can call the elections helpline on 01691 677208.
If I make a mistake on the ballot paper in the polling station, can I have a new ballot paper?
If you spoil your ballot paper in the polling station you can ask the Presiding Officer (the person responsible for the Polling Station) to issue you with another one provided you have not put the first ballot paper you were given in the ballot box. You must hand the spoilt ballot paper intact to the Presiding Officer before you will be given another one. If you have already put your ballot paper into the ballot box you cannot be given another one.
Why do the staff in the polling station write down my electoral number before they give me a ballot paper?
The law requires every ballot paper to have a unique serial number. The law also requires that a record is kept of the serial number of the ballot paper that is issued to every elector. That is why the staff in the polling station record the serial number of the ballot paper against the electoral number.
At the close of the poll, the documents which list the serial numbers of the ballot papers and the list of to whom they have been issued are sealed in special packets and cannot be opened unless a court order to do so is obtained.
The reason this is done is to enable checks to be made should a legal challenge be made to the result of the election. It is possible in law for the result of an election to be challenged through what is known as an election petition. It is possible for the eligibility of a single or a number of electors right to vote to be challenged in the courts after an election. If the challenge is successful the court can order that the ballot papers of the electors who were not eligible to vote to be retrieved and their votes being discounted and the result of the election changed to reflect the removal of these votes from the total.
This is a very unusual occurance and there are legal processes in place to protect the identity of electors and how they have voted from being discovered except in circumstances when a court orders that it should be done. There is only a very short period in which a challenge can be made – 21 days from the date of the election and if no challenge is made in that period all documents are subsequently destroyed.
If I become ill in the week before polling day and cannot get to the polling station in person can I still vote?
You can apply for a proxy to vote on your behalf up to 5pm on the day of the election, however the application must be attested and signed by a medically qualified person. More information can be provided by calling the helpline on 01691 677208 or e-mail us at electoralservices@oswestry-bc.gov.uk.
A proxy vote is used when you cannot get to the polling station and so nominate someone else to vote on your behalf. Their name will be held on a separate list at the polling station. You can vote yourself on polling day if necessary so long as you arrive at the polling station before your proxy.
You need to contact the helpline on 01691 677208 or e-mail us at electoralservices@oswestry-bc.gov.uk to ask for an application form.
They must be able to vote in the type of election concerned, but do not need to be registered as an elector. No-one can vote as proxy for more than two electors in the same electoral area unless they are the spouse, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild of the voter.
The person I want to ask to vote by proxy for me cannot get to the polling station very easily. What should they do?
They can apply to cast their proxy vote by post. Your application for a proxy vote asks you to indicate whether this might be the case. If you tell us so, we will send your proxy the necessary form.
