Voting - Purbeck District Council

Why vote? If you are interested in your local area and the community and also have views on how things should be done then it is important for you to use your vote and have your say.

Who can vote?

To vote in elections in Purbeck you must be 18 or over and either a British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or for local elections, a citizen of a Member State of the European Union.

Member States of the European Union are:-

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Citizens of Member States of the EU can also apply separately to vote in European Parliamentary Elections from the UK, however this must be done annually.

You must also be included on the current Register of Electors.

How to vote

If your name is included on the Register of Electors, you will be sent a poll card a few weeks before an election. The poll card will tell you when you need to make your vote and where you need to go to make your vote. There are three ways in which you can vote:-

In person at a polling station
By post
By proxy

Voting in person

Take your poll card with you when you go to vote. Although you do not require your poll card to vote in person, it will speed up the process and assist the polling staff when checking your details.

Once your details have been checked, the poll clerk will issue you with a ballot paper stating:-

The names of all candidates standing
The party (if any) the candidates represent
How many candidates you can vote for

If you need help with your ballot paper, the polling station staff are there to help you. Once you have taken your ballot paper to one of the polling booths, you will need to:-

For the county council election - put a cross next to the name of the candidate you wish to vote for (do not write anything else on your ballot paper otherwise your vote may not be counted)
For the European election - a party list proportional representation voting system is used and there will be instructions on how to cast your vote in the polling station
Fold the ballot paper to hide your vote
Put it in the sealed ballot box

Voters with disabilities

Every effort is made to ensure that all polling stations are accessible to voters with disabilities. Arrangements have been made to provide assistance for you, such as:-

Wheelchair access
Assistance from a companion
Large print ballot papers
A "selector" (This is a specially designed device to enable visually impaired voters to mark the ballot paper independently. A "selector" will be available at all polling stations. If you wish to make use of this device, please make it clear to polling staff when you receive your ballot paper and they will explain to you how to use it).

Voting by post

You do not need a reason to apply for a postal vote and a postal voting arrangement can be set up by completing the application form below

Postal Vote (Purbeck application form) (word, 55kb) (opens in a new window)

A postal vote can be arranged for all elections in the future, for a specific period or for just one particular election.

What will I receive by post?

You will be sent a postal ballot pack about 7 working days before an election. The postal pack will contain the following documentation:-

Postal vote statement - this will include your personal identifiers (date of birth and signature) which will be verified against the Electoral Registration Officer's database when postal votes are opened
Ballot paper - This includes the details of the candidates/political parties at the election and the number of candidates/parties you may vote for
Ballot paper envelope A - You must put the ballot paper in this envelope once it has been completed
Return envelope B - You must put the postal vote statement and the sealed ballot paper envelope A into this prepaid envelope addressed to the Returning Officer. If you are returning the envelope from overseas you must affix the correct postage

The return envelope B and its contents must be received by the Returning Officer by the close of poll.

Voting by proxy

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

If you cannot get to your polling station to vote in person and are unable or unwilling to receive your ballot paper by post, you may appoint a person to vote on your behalf. As with a postal voting arrangement a proxy can be set up for all future elections, for a specific period or for a particular election only.

Unlike the postal voting application form the proxy application form will ask you to give a reason for the proxy vote and may also require you to have your application form supported by a qualified person. Please read the notes carefully on the application form to ensure the form is completed correctly and can be processed quickly.

Proxy Vote (Purbeck application form) (word, 87kb) (opens in a new window)

An application to vote by proxy must be received by the Returning Officer at least 6 working days before an election.

Referendum for elected mayors - declaration of verification number
Under Part 2 of the Local Government Act 2000 a petition may be submitted to the council requiring a referendum to be held on the question of whether there should be an elected mayor for the district. Find the verification number on this page.