To help spread the message, Cambridge City Council is sending two vehicles on to the streets of Cambridge in the final few days before the deadline, to encourage as many people in the city as possible to register.
The promotional vehicles – a van and a bike – will be touring the city reminding people that they can still register to vote online up until 11.59pm on Monday 20 April.
Under the new system of individual electoral registration (IER) introduced last year, each person is now responsible for registering themselves to vote, rather than one person in each household registering everyone there, as previously. In February every household in Cambridge was sent a letter indicating who is registered at the address, and how residents can register to vote if they need to.
People can register to vote online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote if they have their National Insurance number to hand – a process which should only take a few minutes. Paper forms can also be requested by calling the council on 01223 457048.
Antoinette Jackson, returning officer for the local elections and acting returning officer for the general election, said: “We hope residents see the eye-catching van and bike on the streets of Cambridge in the next few days, and that this will remind anyone who hasn’t yet done so to register to vote by midnight on Monday evening.
“The national and local elections on 7 May are your chance to have a say in decisions that will directly affect you. If you have moved recently, are a student wishing to vote here, or know that you aren’t yet registered, there’s still time to do so at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”
If you are already registered to vote but are planning to be away from Cambridge on 7 May, you can apply to vote by post up until 5pm on Tuesday 21 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 28 April.
Image: The promotional van and bike that will be visiting different parts of Cambridge until Monday 20 April.
- Funding from central government has been provided to cover promotional activity such as the van and bike, in order to encourage electoral registration under IER.
- On Thursday 7 May, elections will take place across the city for 14 of the 42 seats on Cambridge City Council, as well as for Members of Parliament for the Cambridge constituency (in 13 city wards) and the South Cambridgeshire constituency (in Queen Edith’s ward).
- Cambridge City Council’s chief executive Antoinette Jackson is the returning officer for the local elections and the acting returning officer for the general election.
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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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