Voters urged to check they’re election ready before it’s too late
Anyone wanting to vote in the General Election on 4 July, must be registered to vote before the deadline on midnight 18 June.
Voters can apply online. It takes just five minutes.
Postal and proxy vote deadlines
Voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 19 June. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is a week later, 5pm on 26 June.
Voter ID information
For the first time at a UK general election, voters will need to show photo ID at a polling station. To find out which ID you can use in the polling station, visit the Electoral Commission website.
If you do not have one of the accepted types of ID, you can apply for free ID online or by completing and submitting a paper form to your local authority. You must apply by 5pm on 26 June, to be able to use the Voter Authority Certificate on 4 July.
Andrew Seekings, Electoral Registration Officer for Cumberland Council, said: “Don’t lose your chance to have your say at the general election. If you’re in doubt about whether you need to register to vote, or have questions about how to apply for a postal or proxy vote, or free ID, you can contact your local elections team who will be able to help.”
Craig Westwood, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission, said: “It is important that people check they’re election ready ahead of upcoming deadlines. All voters must be registered, and some may need to apply for a postal or proxy vote or free ID. Registering to vote is quick and easy, and can be done online.
“Voters will need to show photo ID at polling stations for this general election. Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of photo ID can apply for free ID online or by completing a paper form and submitting it to their local council.”
Information about the new requirement and all your voting options can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.
Which constituency are you in for the General Election?
Cumberland Council is managing the elections for three Parliamentary constituencies: Carlisle, Penrith and Solway, and Whitehaven and Workington.
There are parts of the Westmorland and Furness Council area which comes under the Penrith and Solway Constituency. There are also some parts of the Cumberland Council area which come under the Barrow and Furness Constituency. The Barrow and Furness Constituency election is being managed by Westmorland and Furness Council. Voters can check their constituency on the Electoral Commission website.
If voters live within the Cumberland Council area, but their home is within the Barrow and Furness Constituency then they should contact Cumberland Council for any queries about the election including voter registration, postal and proxy voting and Voter ID.
If voters live in the Westmorland and Furness Council area, but their house falls within the Penrith and Solway constituency, then they should contact Westmorland and Furness Council with any enquiries about registering to vote, postal and proxy votes and Voter ID.
Contact details can be found on the Cumberland Council website.
There is also an upcoming election in the Cumberland Council Harraby North ward. This is being held on 27 June 2024. Voters in this ward are being reminded of some key deadlines in this election. These are:
- The deadline for applications to vote by proxy at this election is 5pm on Wednesday, 19 June 2024.
- The deadline for applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election is 5pm on Thursday, 27 June 2024.
- The deadline for applications for a Voter Authority Certificate or an Anonymous Elector’s Document valid for this election is 5pm on Wednesday, 19 June 2024.
Postal voters are being urged to look out for their postal vote pack for the upcoming elections, which will start to hit doormats soon.
Voters are due to go to the polls on 4 July for the General Election. There is also an election on 27 June for the Cumberland Council Harraby North ward in Carlisle.
All postal voters are advised to check the instructions which comes with the ballot paper to make sure they complete it correctly.
New rules for postal voting
The rules for postal votes have also now changed. This means that anyone returning a postal vote by hand must complete a postal vote return form. A postal vote returned by hand not accompanied by a postal vote return form will be rejected.
Therefore, the easiest way to return a postal vote is to use the Royal Mail envelope provided with the postal vote pack. Just pop it in a post box in good time to ensure the vote is counted.
Electors who wish to hand their postal vote in at a polling station or one of the designated council offices must now complete a postal vote return form for the postal vote to be accepted.
At polling stations, Presiding Officers and Clerks will have the necessary form to be completed.
Council offices have signage in place to tell electors where they need to go to complete the form when they come to hand the vote in. Postal votes should not be put through the letter boxes or internal mail boxes at council buildings as these will have to be rejected.
There are also new limits on the number of postal votes that can be handed in by one person.
Advice for Harraby North ward postal voters
Postal voters in the Harraby North ward are advised that they will be getting two postal vote packs - one for the Harraby North ward election, and one for the General Election. These voters are also advised to check the details on the ballot paper to confirm which election they are voting in and to note that the date by which the postal votes must be returned will be different. The easiest way to return a postal vote is to use the pre-paid Royal Mail envelope provided. Separate envelopes should be used for each ballot paper.
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