easy read how to vote in council elections
TRANSCRIPT
Easy guide to
voting
Local
Elections
What are Local Elections? How do I vote?
Contents
What is voting?
How do I register ?
How do I vote ?
Are there any other ways I can vote?
Why should I vote ?
What is voting?
Voting is having the chance to have your say
about who you would like to run your local area.
This is called a local election or council election.
The vote is made without anyone else knowing who
you have chosen.
This is called a secret ballot.
How do I register ?
The electoral register is a list of names and
addresses of people who can vote.
You have to be on this list to be able to vote.
A form will be sent to you in the post.
You or someone else who lives with you has
to fill the form in with the names and
birthdates of all the people living in your
house.
You can also register at anytime by
contacting your local council.
You have to be 16years old or over to
register and 18years old or over
to vote.
How do I vote ?
The council will send you a card called a
polling card before the election.
The card tells you when and where to vote.
On the day of the election you will need to go
to the polling station. This could be a school,
church or community hall.
At the polling station give in your name
and address at the desk.
This is to check that you are on the register.
You will then be given a ballot paper.
This is a list of names of the people you can vote
for.
You will need to go into a polling booth.
This is where the voting is done so that no one
else will see your vote.
On the ballot paper put an x in the box next to the
name of the person you want to vote for.
Fold your ballot paper and put it into the ballot
box outside of the polling booth.
If you are unsure about anything ask a member of
staff at the polling station.
If you are not able to get to the polling station on
the day of the election there are 2 other ways
you can vote:
Are there other
ways I can vote?
Post
Anyone can choose to vote by post.
You will need to contact your local council so that
they can send you your ballot paper
Proxy
Proxy means getting someone you trust to vote
for you.
This would be because you have a special
reason why you cannot get to the polling
station.
The reason could be because you are on holiday
or are unwell.
You will need to contact your local council and
tell them you would like to vote by proxy.
The council will send you a form for you to fill
in and send back.
Why should I vote ?
It is important that everyone has a say in who is
elected in their local area.
This is because they make decisions that affect
everyone locally.
These decisions include:
Schools Hospitals
Libraries Social Care
Housing Waste disposal
Easy read version created by Harrow Mencap:
020 8869 8484
July 2013