Elections

Information about voting

Parliamentary Election

(Also known as the General Election) will next be held in 2015. Once an election is called, the deadline to register in time to vote in that election is always 11 working days before polling day. Remember, a general election can be called at any time so register now to make sure you can have your say.

Local Government Election

Middlesbrough Council has an elected Mayor and 48 Councillors elected into office every 4 years.

The Borough is divided into 23 wards that elect 48 Councillors, some wards have a single councillor, and others have two or three. There are 2 parishes and there are two parliamentary constituencies.

The next Mayoral and Local Government elections are scheduled to take place in May 2015.

European Election

The European Parliament represents people living in the twenty-seven Member Countries of the European Union. Elections for the European Parliament take place every five years.

The next European Parliamentary Elections will be held in June 2014.

Voting takes place across the European Union in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Voting by post

If you do want to vote by post, you can download an application form from the download section on the right or contact Electoral Services and we will send you a form.

You can arrange a postal vote for:

• A single election - for example if you are going away on holiday you might want to vote by post just for one election
• A set period - for example, for a year or two if you are a student or regularly work away from home
• Permanently - a ballot paper will automatically be sent to you whenever there is an election until you tell us otherwise
• The individual will be asked to refresh there signature every 5 years to remain as a permanent postal voter

Once your completed application has been processed, you will receive confirmation of your voting arrangements. If you do not receive written confirmation within 4 weeks of sending in your application, it may mean your application has gone astray on its way to us and you should contact us again to check.

There are however some important things to remember about Postal Voting:

• Once a postal vote has been issued you cannot vote in person at a polling station.
• Postal Votes can be sent to any chosen address, even abroad, but don't forget that it may take some time for the ballot paper to reach you and for you to send it back by Election Day if your vote is to be counted.
• If you have your postal vote sent abroad you will be responsible for paying the return postage.
• Postal votes are sent out about a week before Election Day. You should be sure you will be at the address where you have requested your postal vote to be sent, at this time.
• If you have a long term postal vote don't forget to let us know if you move house and whether you still want to have a postal vote or your vote could go to your old address and you may miss out.

Voting by proxy

A proxy voting arrangement is when an elector has appointed another person to vote on their behalf, either at their allotted polling station or by post (postal proxy).

If you cannot get to your polling station to vote in person and you do not want to receive your voting papers by post, you can appoint a person to vote on your behalf. Anyone can be your proxy as long as they are eligible to vote in the election and they are willing to vote on your behalf. This person can be a family member, friend, neighbour or anyone else that you can trust to cast your vote correctly.

You cannot be a proxy for more than two people at any one election, unless they are a close relative.

You can arrange a proxy vote if, for example:

• You are blind.
• You have a physical condition that means you cannot go to the polling station on election day.
• Your employment means that you cannot go to the polling station on election day.
• Your attendance on an educational course means that you cannot go to the polling station on election day.

You can arrange a proxy vote for:

• A single election - for example if you are going away on holiday you might want to vote by proxy just for one election.
• A set period - for example, for a year or two if you regularly work away from home.
• Permanently - for an indefinite period until you tell us otherwise.

The deadline for applying to vote by proxy is normally 6 working days before an election. However, if you have a medical emergency after that deadline, you can apply to vote by emergency proxy if the emergency means that you cannot go to the polling station in person.

The application form will ask you to give a reason for the proxy vote and may also ask you to have your application supported by a qualified person to confirm that your reason for applying to vote is valid. Please read the notes that accompany the application form to find out if you need to get someone to support your application and who can do it.