Are you registered to vote?

If not, you need to register by 17th April to be eligible to vote in the local election on 3rd May

Let your voice be heard at the next local elections

North Tyneside Council for example have just announced that there are just over 10,000 residents who are not yet registered to vote.

Make sure that your say is heard in the upcoming local elections on May 3rd 2018.

If you want to vote in the local election, the deadline for registering to vote is midnight on Tuesday 17th April 2018.

The Electoral Commission estimate that around 1 in 4 people with a learning disability are not registered to vote.

According to Mencap only a third of people with learning disability actually vote in the UK.

Emma Hartley, Head of Campaigns at the Electoral Commission has said “There should be no barriers for anyone with a disability from being able to cast their vote with confidence. It’s vital that people with a learning disability are provided with accessible information to help them vote on 3 May”.

Mencap and The Electoral Commission have put together an easy read guide to voting in the May local elections in England. It explains useful words such as Councillor, Electoral Register, postal vote, proxy vote, ballot box and polling station.

The guide covers topics including:

• What is voting and why is it important
• How you can register to vote
• How to apply for a postal vote
• How to vote by proxy (someone votes on behalf of someone else)
• How to vote at a polling station
• Important dates to remember for the local elections in May 2018

Your Vote really does matter – so if you are not registered to vote, take a look at the Easy Read Guide attached to this article.