Make sure you’re ready to vote in time for the local elections next month so you can have a say on who you want to represent you.

Elections will be held for all Torbay Council wards on Thursday 4 May.

The election will select councillors who are responsible for making decisions on running local services, including housing, education, transport, planning, parks, leisure, public safety and social care.

To vote in the local elections, you must be on the electoral register.

Anne-Marie Bond, Returning Officer for Torbay Council, said: “With only a few days to go until the deadline to register to vote, we’re urging residents who have recently turned 18 or who haven’t registered at their current address yet to make sure they do so by midnight on Monday 17 April. It takes just five minutes. If you were registered to vote in the last election and your details have not changed, you will still be registered to vote and you don’t need to contact us.

“This election will be the first that requires voters to have photo ID if they’re voting at a polling station. If you don’t have ID that looks like you, you will not be able to vote. You can check what photo ID is acceptable by going to the Electoral Commission's website.

“These elections are an opportunity to have a say on who represents you on issues that directly affect day-to-day life here in Torbay, so please don’t miss out.”

If you don’t have suitable photo ID, you can apply for free ID, known as a voter authority certificate.

If you are applying for the free photo ID, you will need to be registered to vote first.

If you would like to have a postal or proxy vote, you will also need to apply in advance for these.

Here are the key dates to remember:

Register to vote	Midnight on Monday 17 April
Apply for, amend or cancel an existing postal vote	5pm on Tuesday 18 April
Apply for a proxy vote	5pm on Tuesday 25 April
Apply for free voter ID (voter authority certificate)	5pm on Tuesday 25 April

 

Our Elections page has details about:

• How to register to vote
• How to get photo ID
• How to apply for proxy and postal votes
• How to check where your polling station is
• Who is standing in the elections