North East Lincolnshire residents urged to register to have their say in May

Voters urged to register to have their say in May – two important deadlines next week.

On Thursday 2 May, residents will be voting to elect Councillors, who represent their local area and residents, and contribute to the development of policies in areas such as transport, social care and housing. As well as this, they will cast their vote for the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner who is responsible for all policing matters in the area.

In order to vote in May, residents must be on the electoral register. 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.

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.

The deadline to register to vote in person is Tuesday 16 April. The deadline to apply for a new postal vote is 5pm on 17 April. 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 17 April. The deadline to apply for a new proxy vote if you haven’t done this before is 5pm on 24 April. It takes just five minutes to apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.  

This year residents in North East Lincolnshire will be voting to select:

• Councillors in 12 of our 15 Wards, who represent their local area and residents, and will help shape the future of their local area by making plans and taking decisions (there are no elections in Waltham, West Marsh or Wolds this year).
• Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner, who is responsible for holding the police to account and for policing as a whole in our area.

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 to an authorised officer during 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 to 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 will not be accepted 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.

Rob Walsh, Returning Officer for North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“Local elections are an important opportunity to make your voice heard and have a say on who makes decisions about issues that directly affect day-to-day life here in North East Lincolnshire. If you have recently turned 18 or moved home, it is particularly important to make sure you are correctly registered to vote. If you’re in doubt, you can check with us by contacting us on 01472 324160 or by emailing [email protected].”