Witney News - Don’t lose your right to vote

Witney - A view from Church Green

Advertisements

Don’t lose your right to vote

With a general election imminent and local elections taking place on 6th May, West Oxfordshire District Council is urging residents to make sure they register their right to vote before it is too late.

While a date has not yet been set, the next general election could be called anytime and must take place by 3rd June 2010. As well as the general election, a third (16) of the District Council’s seats are up for election on 6th May, along with some parish council seats.

“The time between the general election date being announced and the last chance to register to vote can be a matter of a few days,” warns Keith Butler, Electoral Registration Officer. “Anyone not on the electoral register will not be able to vote.”

“Sometimes people do not realise that they need to re-register each year. The registration campaign runs every autumn. We send out forms to all households followed up by reminders to those that have not returned. But, despite every effort there are always some people that turn up at the polling stations only to be disappointed to discover they are not eligible to vote. I urge people to check with us if they think they are not registered.”

Registering to vote is easy: print off a form from www.westoxon.gov.uk/register and ensure it is returned to the District Council by no later than Tuesday 20 April for elections taking place on the 6 May. To check you are eligible to vote telephone 01993 861000.

For those that can’t get to a polling station to vote requests can be made for a postal vote or proxy vote. A proxy vote is when a registered voter appoints someone else to vote on their behalf.

Registering to vote is a statutory duty and people not on the Electoral Register may also find it difficult to do other things, such as getting a loan or mortgage or mobile phone contract, as registration is one of the criteria used by credit checking agencies. Other pitfalls include not being eligible to apply for certain jobs which require security checks and not being able to open a bank account.

For more details about the forthcoming elections, visit www.westoxon.gov.uk/elections

Posted : 19/03/2010 15:33:56

Other recent Witney news items posted on the Witney website


Ultrafast broadband delivered to more than 10,000 properties in the District

More than 10,000 rural homes and businesses in West Oxfordshire now have access to ultrafast full-fibre internet, providing them with some of the fastest broadband speeds in the world. This milesto...


Residents and businesses urged to be patient as Covid-19 test centre is built in Witney

An NHS Covid-19 testing centre is to be built in Witney to improve support for residents. The building will be situated in the Woodford Way car park and is expected to remain for at least three mon...


Oxfordshire close to 'high' COVID-19 alert level

Residents are being advised to be extra vigilant, particularly over half-term, as cases of coronavirus continue to spread across the county. Evidence shows that, in the past two weeks, the virus ha...


West Oxfordshire Gym Data Reveals the Numbers of Locals that Returned to the Gym after lockdown

Better, the largest operator of municipal leisure facilities in the UK releases gym usage data since reopening: West Oxfordshire has seen a total of 20537 visits to their local gyms 26-34-year old...


View the full Witney Blog