Burnley Council elections: Important dates for voters to remember

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People must be registered to vote if they want to have their say in the elections on Thursday, May 2nd. If you have moved house in the past 12 months, turned 18 years old over the past year, or have never registered before for any other reason, it only takes five minutes to register.

Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or you can contact the council’s election office on 01282 477261/477263 or email [email protected]

The deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday 16th April.

For those wanting to vote by post, the deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm, Wednesday, April 17th. The Government has changed the rules around returning postal votes, and more information can be found at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/

The deadline for applying for a proxy vote – asking someone else to vote for you in person at a polling station – is 5pm, Wednesday, April 24th.

If you do plan to vote at your polling station don’t forget to bring appropriate photo ID. Accepted ID includes a passport, driving licence or some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass. ID can be out of date, as long as you are recognisable from the image. Anyone who hasn’t got the correct photo ID can apply for free for a voter authority certificate. To apply for the certificate, you will need to provide a photograph, your full name, date of birth, the address at which you are registered to vote, and national insurance number.

The full list of accepted photo-ID and details of how to apply for a free voter authority certificate is available at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id. Alternatively, you can apply in person by appointment only at Burnley Town Hall, or by calling 01282 477261/477263 to make an appointment. The deadline to apply for a VAC is 5pm, Wednesday, April 24th.