Sunderland is going to the polls with City Council, Northumbria Police Area Crime Commissioner and new North East Mayoral Combined Authority elections.
Are you ready to vote in the three elections on Thursday 2 May?
Anyone who has not yet registered to vote in May is urged to do so immediately.
The deadline to register is midnight Tuesday 16 April. You can apply online at Register to vote – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). It takes just five minutes.
Registered electors can also apply for a postal vote and the deadline to apply is 5pm on Wednesday 17 April. You can apply online at:https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
There are currently 209,408 people on the Sunderland Electoral Register and 86,459 electors (41 per cent) are registered for a postal vote.
Voters going to a polling station are reminded that they will again need to show photo ID.
If you do not have one of the accepted types of photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, you can apply for a Voter Authority certificate at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or by completing and submitting a paper form to Electoral Services, Sunderland City Council, City Hall, Plater Way, Sunderland, SR1 3AA.
The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm Wednesday 24 April. Voters must be on the Electoral Register to apply for a certificate and need to provide a photo, full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their National Insurance number.
“Elections are always important opportunities for people to give their views on what matters to them and the issues that directly affect day-to-day and public life here in Sunderland.
“If you’re not on the electoral register then you are missing an opportunity to have your voice heard through the ballot box.
“Before the May elections, and also with a general election getting closer, it is important that people are registered so their voice is heard at the ballot box. Anyone who is not registered has until Tuesday 16 April to register.”
“Looking ahead, it’s worth checking now that you are ready and have everything you need to vote. This is whether it’s getting registered, choosing to vote by post or making sure you have the correct photo ID for when you go to the polling station on Thursday 2 May.”
Sunderland Returning Officer, Patrick Melia
Sunderland holds elections by ‘thirds’ for its 75 councillors. Therefore, one seat of the three in each of the city’s 25 wards is up for election and 25 councillors are due to be elected.
May is the fifth time that voters in Sunderland have gone to the polls alongside voters in Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland and South Tyneside to choose a Police and Commissioner. The first commissioner election was held in November 2012.
And May is the first time that voters in Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland will choose a directly elected regional mayor for the new North East Mayoral Combined Authority (NEMCA). The authority, which has been created as part of the region’s devolution deal with Government, formally begins after the election.
Sunderland will be the returning centre for the Police and Crime Commissioner election and the mayoral election. The results of both elections are due to be announced from the Silksworth count centre on Friday 3 May.
“If you have turned 18, or if you have moved home recently, now is the time to ensure that you are registered to vote. It takes just five minutes to register and it means that you can take part in these elections and the general election. And, please do not forget if you are going to the polling station on Thursday 2 May there are laws meaning you must have an acceptable form of photo ID. Please bring ID such as your driving licence or passport, or your Voter Authority Certificate so that you can cast your vote.”
Mr Melia
Voter registration is open to all British and Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth citizens living in the UK, who are aged 18 or over. Anyone previously on the register who has recently moved home or whose details have changed will need to register again.
If you need help with applying for a Voter Authority Certificate or want to request a paper application form, please call Sunderland Electoral Services on 0191 520 5550 or email elections@sunderland.gov.uk
