If you wish to vote at these elections you must be registered to vote by the end of Monday 18 April. If you are on the register you will receive a poll card – if you haven’t received one by 10 April you need to take action and register to vote.
Under the system of individual electoral registration (IER) introduced in 2014, each person is responsible for registering themselves to vote.
You can register to vote online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote if you have your National Insurance number to hand – a process which should only take a few minutes. If you don’t have access to the internet you can request a paper form by calling the council on 01223 457048.
Antoinette Jackson, returning officer for the local elections and acting returning officer for the general election, said: “Even if you’re not sure you want to vote, I would encourage you to register so you have the option on 5 May.
“If you have moved recently, are a student wishing to vote in Cambridge, or know you are not yet registered I would urge you to do so at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
“By voting, Cambridge people can have their say on who will represent their area, as well as helping to choose a Police and Crime Commissioner for the county. Local councillors make decisions about council services on your behalf, and decide how some of the money you pay as council tax gets spent.”
If you are already registered to vote but are planning to be away from Cambridge on 5 May, you can apply to vote by post up until 5pm on Tuesday 19 April.
If you would like to appoint someone else to vote on your behalf you can apply to vote by proxy up until 5pm on Tuesday 26 April. This may be the best option if you are going to be away from Cambridge on 5 May and there is a risk your postal vote won’t get to you in time.
Cambridge City Council’s chief executive Antoinette Jackson is the returning officer for the local elections, and for the Police and Crime Commissioner election in Cambridge city. John Hill, Chief Executive of East Cambridgeshire District Council, is the overall returning officer for the Police and Crime Commissioner election in Cambridgeshire.
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Contacts
Antoinette Jackson, Chief Executive, email: antoinette.jackson@cambridge.gov.uk, tel: 01223 457001
Gary Clift, Democratic Services Manager, email: gary.clift@cambridge.gov.uk, tel: 01223 457011
Vicky Breading, Electoral Service Manager, email: vicky.breading@cambridge.gov.uk, tel: 01223 457057
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City Council and PCC elections on 5 May – register to vote by 18 April
5 April 2016
On Thursday 5 May, elections will take place across the city for 14 of the 42 seats on Cambridge City Council, as well as for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cambridgeshire.