Voters urged to register to have their say in May – important deadlines coming up

On Thursday 7 May, residents will be voting to elect Councillors, who represent their local area, and contribute to the development of policies in areas such as transport, social care and housing.

In North East Lincolnshire there will be 15 seats up for election, one in each ward.

Registering to vote: DEADLINE 20 April

To be able 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.

Voting by post: DEADLINE to register: 21 April

You can now apply online to vote by post. When you are doing this, you also need to prove your identity, by providing your National Insurance number.

Once you are registered, this lasts for three years. You will be sent a postal voting pack to your registered address before the election. This can be returned through Royal Mail, or at the Municipal Offices in Grimsby or on the day at a polling station. If you hand it in to the office or a polling station, you will be required to fill in additional paperwork.

Visit www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote to apply for a postal vote.

Proxy voting: DEADLINE to update an existing proxy vote: 21 April / DEADLINE for a new proxy vote: 28 April

This is a type of vote where someone can act as a proxy, or stand in, to help you have your say. There are limits to how many people a voter can act as a proxy for. This means you can only act as a proxy for two people living in the UK. If you act as a proxy for people living overseas, you can act as proxy for up to four people but only two of these can be based in the UK.

Visit www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/voting-by-proxy to apply to vote by proxy.

A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “Time is running out to make sure you can take part in these elections. They are an important opportunity to make your voice heard and have a say on who represents you on issues that directly affect day-to-day life here in North East Lincolnshire.”