Information for Voters

Residents are reminded of some important deadlines / changes as the local elections will take place on Thursday 2 May.

Voters in Cannock Chase will go to the polls to elect Councillors to all 12 of its electoral wards and all 36 seats.  There will also be an election from the Staffordshire Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner.

Following a boundary review, there have been changes to every ward in Cannock Chase District, with the exception of Norton Canes.  Some boundaries are different and there are some new ward names.  These changes have resuled in a reduction of wards from 15 to 12 and Councillors from 41 to 36.  There will be three Councillor's per ward from May's elections.  The new boundaries can be viewed on the Local Government Boundary Commission for England's website.

As a result of the changes, there have also been changes to some polling stations.  Poll cards will be sent to residents in March advising of the ward they are eligible to vote in and their polling station.

Only people who are registered will be able to vote on 2 May.  If you have moved or changed your name you will need to register to vote again.  Registering is easy and you can apply online at gov.uk (register to vote) in just a few minutes.  All you will need is your date of birth and national insurance number.  The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 16 April.

Residents must also ensure that they have a valid form of photo ID if they plan to vote in person.  To find out what photo ID is accepted or to apply for photo ID visit the Electoral Commission website (voter ID information).  The deadline to apply for voter ID is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.

If you know that you won't be able to get to the polling station this May, you can ask someone to cast your vote on your behalf (a proxy vote).  For further information on how to vote by proxy visit gov.uk (apply for a proxy vote).  The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.

There have been some changes to apply for postal votes this year.  More information is available on the Electoral Commission website (postal voting information).  If you want to apply for a postal vote then visit gov.uk (apply for a postal vote).  The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 17 April.

New provisions have been introduced for the polls taking place on 2 May 2024.  If you have not been able to return your completed postal vote via Royal Mail you may hand deliver:

• To any polling station in the Cannock Chase District

1. You may hand in no more than five postal ballot packs for other electors plus your own.  If you hand in more than five postal ballots for other electors all the postal votes (other than your own) will be rejected.
2. Anyone handing in postal votes will need to complete a 'return of postal voting documents' form.
3. The person handing in the postal vote(s) will need to complete the form with their name, address and the reason for handing in other people's postal votes (where appropriate).
4. Postal votes will not be accepted if they are simply left at a polling station.  If a person hands in postal votes without completing the return of postal voting documents form, the 'left behind' postal votes will be rejected.

• To the Returning Officer at the Council Offices

1. The same restrictions, limits, and requirements to complete a form which apply at polling stations, will also apply to postal votes handed to the Returning Officer at the council offices.
2. We will accept postal votes handed in personally at Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre Reception, Beecroft Road, Cannock, WS11 1BG.  Reception staff will be trained to ensure the return of postal voting documents are completed. 
3. Any postal votes which are left at any council building without the 'return of postal voting documents' form being completed will be rejected.
4. We cannot accept any postal votes which are left in the council mailbox, or which are put in the internal mail system.  Notices will be displayed on the council mailbox to inform electors that their completed packs must not be put in the mailbox and that they will be rejected.

All completed postal votes must be received before 10pm on Thursday 2 May 2024.

You can vote in person at your allocated polling station. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. If there is a queue you will still be able to vote as long as you joined the queue before 10pm.

Poll cards are delivered shortly before an Election. Each member of the household who is eligible to vote should receive a poll card which informs them of the date of the election, where their polling station is and the hours of poll. 

You do not need to take the poll card with you to be able to vote, but you must have photo ID.  You can find the accepted form of photo ID on the Voter ID page.

• On arrival at your designated polling station, the Presiding Officer will ask you to show your photo ID,  confirm your name and address.  Provided this is all okay, you will be issued with a ballot paper for the election(s) you are entitled to vote in.
• You should take the ballot paper(s) to the voting booth and mark with a 'X' the candidate(s) you wish to vote for in accordance with the instructions on the ballot paper.
• Fold the ballot paper(s) and deposit in the ballot box as indicated.

You can apply for a postal vote at any time.  You must be registered to vote in the UK before you can apply.

To vote by post, you need to either:

• Complete a postal vote application online.  You will need your National Insurance number or other identity documents (e.g., a passport), and you will also need to upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.

  or

• Complete a postal vote application form

Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed you can either:

• email a scanned image of the completed form or a clear photograph, showing a full page, to electionsoffice@cannockchasedc.gov.uk  or
• post the completed form to: Elections Office, Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre, Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffordshire  WS11 1BG 

The date the Postal Votes are dispatched varies from election to election and if you are applying for a Postal Vote because you are going away, we strongly advise you to contact the office early to clarify dates.

When a postal vote has been posted to you, you cannot vote in person at a polling station.

You can choose on the application form to vote at a one-off election on a specific date, or for a specific period, or for the maximum period (up to three years).

If you move house, you must notify the Elections Office as soon as possible or you won’t receive your postal vote at your new address.

Remember to apply for your postal vote as soon as you can. If there is an election during any year there will be a deadline date for new applications, this is normally 11 working days before an election. This deadline date will also apply to changes / cancellation of / amended or redirected postal vote papers.

You must be able to sign your name to vote by post. If you are unable to sign you need to request a Postal Vote Waiver application. Power of attorney does not apply to postal voting.

To prevent fraudulent voting, all postal votes are subject to signature checking. When you make an application to vote by post you will be asked to provide a specimen signature and your date of birth. This information will be required on a security statement on all returned ballot papers and will be checked against our records. If someone who is not the elector signs a postal vote statement, it will be rejected, even if that person has power of attorney.

If you will be away from home and will not be able vote in person or be able to receive your postal ballot paper you may prefer to appoint someone on your behalf using a Proxy Vote. This person does not need to be a relative, just someone you know and trust. That person will receive a letter to hand into your polling station and that will enable them to vote on your behalf.  They will need to take their own photo ID with them to vote.

Please note a proxy cannot vote for more than four people at any one election.  No more than two of those people can be domestic electors.  Domestic electors are voters who are neither overseas voters nor service voters, and they must be eligible to vote in that type of election.

More information about proxy voting is available on GOV.UK (Voting by Proxy)

There are different application forms depending on whether you want to nominate a proxy for a specific election; longer term; or as a result of an emergency. 

To vote by proxy you can either:

• Complete a proxy vote application form online and apply for a proxy vote.  You will need your National Insurance number or any other identity document (e.g., a birth certificate); the address where your proxy is registered to vote, and contact details for your proxy.

  or

• Complete a proxy vote application form.  Links to the different proxy forms can be found on GOV.UK (Proxy Voting application forms)

Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed you can either :

• email a scanned image of the completed form or a clear photograph, showing a full page, to electionsoffice@cannockchasedc.gov.uk ; or
• post the completed form to: Elections Office, Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre, Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 1BG

The deadline to apply to vote by proxy is normally 6 working days before an election.

Emergency proxy vote

In certain circumstances, where you have an emergency that means you cannot vote in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy (N.B. You cannot apply for an emergency proxy using the online service).

This must be something that you weren't aware of before the normal proxy vote deadline.

The form you need to complete depends on your reason for needing an emergency proxy vote.

Emergency proxy application (medical / disability)

Emergency proxy application (employment)

Emergency proxy application due to availability of your photo ID

Once you have completed the relevant form and made sure you have signed it you can either :

• email a scanned image of the completed form or a clear photograph, showing a full page, to electionsoffice@cannockchasedc.gov.uk ; or
• post the completed form to: Elections Office, Cannock Chase District Council, Civic Centre, Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffordshire  WS11 1BG 

Your completed emergency proxy application must be received by us no later than 5pm on polling day.

If you are not sure if you have a postal vote or proxy vote already, contact the Electoral Services Office.

If you are a British citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter. As long as you:

• are currently, or were previously registered to vote within the Cannock Chase constituency, either as a domestic elector before you left the UK, or as an overseas elector since you left the UK.  This is known as the previously registered condition; OR
• were previously resident in the constituency (including those who left the UK before they were old enough to register to vote).  This is known as the previously resident condition.

There is no longer a time limit as to when you were last registered in the UK.  A British citizen can register as an overseas elector regardless of when they left the UK, provided they satisfy either the previously registered or previously resident criteria.

Overseas electors can only at UK Parliamentary elections and UK-wide referendums.