CAMPAIGNERS fear a change in the voter registration system could leave millions unable to take part in May’s General Election.
Carmarthenshire County Council is, however, taking steps to ensure that voters are on the register and able to vote in what seems likely to be the closest and hardest fought election campaign for years. The message is that every vote counts.
Under the old system, one person in each household completed the registration for every resident eligible to vote.
Now everyone has to register individually by providing their national insurance number and date of birth.
About 7.5 million people had already gone missing from the electoral register before the new system was introduced, but campaigners fear a further million have been disenfranchised.
The deadline for registering vote in the general election is Monday April 20.
You can register once you are 16 although you will only be able to vote on Thursday May 7, if you are 18 or over on the day.
People can find out information on voting and polling stations at an event taking place in Llanelli at the end of this month.
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Electoral Services Manager Amanda Bebb will be at The Hub in Stepney Street all day on Monday March 30.
She can check if people are registered to vote in the next parliamentary election on May 7. If they are not, Amanda can register them.
People can also apply to have a postal vote, discuss any support they may need, or ask any questions about their local polling station.
Amanda said: “I hope people take the opportunity to come along, I am happy to discuss any queries regarding elections or the voting process. We encourage everyone to use their vote, so we need to ensure as many people as possible are registered, and that they have all the information they need to make choices about their preferred method of voting.”
Add Comment