Last chance to register to vote on how the Council is run

Voters have less than two weeks left to register if they want to have their say on how Bath and North East Somerset Council is run.

On Thursday, 10th March, voters in the area will go to the polls for a referendum which will ask:

How would you like Bath and North East Somerset Council to be run?

By a leader who is an elected councillor chosen by a vote of the other elected councillors. This is how the council is run now.

OR

By a Mayor who is elected by voters. This would be a change from how the council is run now.

The deadline to register to vote in time for this referendum is midnight on Tuesday, 23rd February 2016.

You can vote at the Referendum if you are registered to vote, are eighteen or over on 10th March 2016 and are a British citizen, a European Union citizen or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen.

Poll cards with details of the referendum and the location of polling stations will be posted to all registered electors.

If you are not yet registered at your current address, you can do it online at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Those who would prefer to register using a paper form can download a registration form from the online registration site or alternatively can request one by calling the Electoral Services Helpline on: 01225 477333.

If you can’t go to the polling station on Thursday, 10th March, then if you have registered by 23rd February, you can apply to vote by post or you can appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. The deadline for postal vote applications is 5 pm on Wednesday, 24th February 2016, while the deadline for proxy vote applications is 5 pm on Wednesday, 2nd March 2016.

Dr Jo Farrar, Chief Executive and Electoral Registration Officer for Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “Time is running out to register to vote in the Referendum and people need to be registered to make sure they have their say.

“Only people who are registered to vote can take part in the Referendum, but it is really easy to do and you can apply online in just a few minutes. Your vote matters, please don’t lose it!”