On Thursday 4 July, residents will vote in the General Election for Members of Parliament for the constituencies of Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes and Brigg & Immingham.
The Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes constituency is wholly within North East Lincolnshire and the constituency of Brigg & Immingham extends beyond our boundaries into the administrative area of North Lincolnshire.
How you can vote in the July elections
People can choose to vote in a number of ways – in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. But you can only vote if you’re on the electoral register before the deadline.
1: Register to vote:
With the deadline to register to vote fast approaching, North East Lincolnshire Council is urging people who are not registered at their current address to make sure they are registered in time.
The deadline to register to vote in person is Tuesday 18 June. The deadline to apply for a new postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 19 June. If you have a proxy vote already in place, but you want to change who you want to vote in your place, the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 19 June. The deadline to apply for a new proxy vote if you haven’t done this before is Wednesday 5pm on 26 June.
It takes just five minutes to apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.
2: Cast your vote
Once you have registered, you will be eligible to vote in the election.
You can choose from three ways to vote.
- In person
- By post
- By proxy (which means you have someone else cast their vote for you)
Voting in person
If you have registered and are eligible to vote, the local elections office will send you a poll letter telling you where and when to vote. You can still vote if you have misplaced your poll letter; you do not have to take it with you to the polling station.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on the day of the election. You will need to provide your name and address to polling station staff when you arrive as well as providing photo ID.
If you don’t have photographic ID, apply for a Voter Authority Certificate: Gov.uk website. The deadline for application for a VAC is 5pm on the Wednesday 26 June 2024.
If you are disabled, the polling staff will be able to help you. The polling stations will have wheelchair access, equipment for visual impairment and low-level polling booths.
Voting by post
You can use postal voting as a one off at one election or for all elections. Aside from being on the electoral register, you do not need to meet any specific criteria to vote by post.
When you vote by post, your signature and date of birth will be checked against your application. This is to make sure the ballot paper you return is your vote. If the signature and/or date of birth do not match, your vote will be rejected.
If you wish to vote by post, you need to apply to do this by 5pm on the Wednesday 19 June 2024.
Apply to vote by post: Gov.uk website.
There are national changes for 2024 regarding postal voting
National changes to regulations this year mean that postal votes must either be returned through the Royal Mail, or alternatively, can be handed in, in person, at the reception to the Municipal Offices, Grimsby for the Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes Constituency or Brigg and Immingham Constituency.
The vote must be handed to an authorised officer during Municipal Offices opening hours, or at the polling stations on the day of the election.
If you have a postal vote ballot pack please ensure you follow the new rules:
- There is a limit to the number of postal votes a person can hand in at a polling station – a person will not be allowed to hand in more than five postal ballot packs for other electors plus their own.
- If a person hands in more than five postal ballot packs for other electors, all the postal votes (other than their own) will be rejected.
- If there is reason to suspect that a person has already handed in the maximum number of postal votes elsewhere (e.g. another polling station) at the election, any subsequent postal votes handed in will be rejected.
- Anyone handing in postal votes must complete a ‘return of postal voting documents’ form for it to be counted.
The person handing in the postal vote(s) will need to complete the form with their name, address and the reason for handing in other people’s postal votes (where appropriate). If the form is not completed with all the required information, or to the authorised officer’s satisfaction, the postal vote(s) will be rejected. Postal votes can be accepted at polling stations but must be accompanied by a form you will be asked to complete, if they are simply left at a polling station, they will be rejected. After the election, the Electoral Registration Officer will write to all electors who have had their postal votes rejected, telling them why.
Voting by proxy
If you need someone to vote on your behalf, you can apply for a proxy vote. You can apply for a proxy vote for one election only or, if you meet the following criteria and your application is attested, you can have a permanent proxy vote:
- a physical condition that means you cannot vote in person or by post.
- attending a course for educational purposes and will not make it to your polling station.
- unable to vote due to being away for work.
If you want someone else to vote for you, you need to apply for a proxy vote.
Apply for a proxy vote: Gov.uk website.
If you have a proxy vote already for either of our local constituencies, but wish to change this, you need to contact the Council’s Elections Team by 5pm on Wednesday 19 June 2024. Call 01472 313131 and ask to be put through to the elections team.
If you wish to apply for a new proxy vote, you have until 5pm on Wednesday 26 June 2024.
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