HOW DO I CAST MY VOTE?
There are a number of ways for a vote to be cast. The most popular is in person at a polling station, although postal votes are now becoming more popular.
Voting in person at a polling station:
- Each resident will be issued with a Poll Card giving details of the date and times of the election, together with a map showing the location of their Polling Station.
- Residents should bring their Poll Card, if they can, to the Polling Station. If residents forget their card this is not a problem, as the Presiding Officer will ask each person for their name/address so he/she can ensure that the resident is on the Electoral Register.
- Once this is completed, an official ballot paper will be handed out. There may be more than one election taking place and if so a ballot paper will be available for each election.
- Once residents have collected all of their ballot papers, they should proceed to a Polling Booth and mark a cross (X) against the name of the candidate that they wish to elect per election.
- The ballot paper is then placed into the ballot box before leaving the Polling Station.
- To apply for a postal vote, residents are required to complete an application form which includes a signature and date of birth.
- To obtain the application form please contact Electoral Services on 01403 215126 or email elections@horsham.gov.uk
- Residents must have applied to vote by post by the advertised date.
- Residents must put a single cross (X) on the ballot paper to the right of the candidate’s name whom they wish to vote for. The ballot paper must then be sealed in the ballot paper envelope.
- Accompanying the ballot paper is a Postal Vote Statement which has to be completed. This Statement requires a signature and date of birth to be included.
- The Statement, accompanied by the sealed ballot paper envelope, must be placed into the return envelope supplied, which must be firmly sealed and returned to Horsham District Council.
- Residents are asked to place the return envelope in the post or to hand deliver it to the Council offices – under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should they give the sealed envelopes to a third party.
- When the ballot papers are returned to the Council the signature and date of birth from the Postal Vote Statement will be compared to those on the original application form as an extra security measure.
- You can appoint someone else to vote on your behalf.
- To apply for a proxy vote, residents are required to complete an application form.
- To obtain the application form please contact Electoral Services on 01403 215126 or email elections@horsham.gov.uk
Whether residents vote in person, by post or via a proxy, only ONE vote may be cast per ballot paper and there must be no other marks, comments or signatures made on that paper, otherwise it will be disqualified.
How do I know that my vote will be kept secret?
- The way that a person votes is and remains secret. An elector’s vote can only be tracked if the High Court orders an investigation upon an election petition.
- The poll booths are screened for privacy so no one can see where an elector puts their mark.
- The ballot boxes are sealed immediately before the polling station opens, apart from the slit in the top for the posting of ballot papers. Once the Polling Stations close, the ballot boxes are completely sealed until they are taken to the Counting Station, where they are opened in the presence of the Returning Officer. There is no opportunity for the ballot boxes to be tampered with.