Many people might be concerned about going to a polling station because of Covid. Maybe you've had to shield or have been working from home for much of the past year. You want to keep your contacts to a minimum, to protect yourself and others.
It's great to know that there are options which mean that you will still be able to participate in the elections that will take place on 6th May 2021.
There are two main options if you can't or don't want to attend a polling station in person - proxy and postal votes.
Proxy Vote - This is when you ask someone you trust to vote on your behalf at the polling station. You need to apply to vote like this and you can have a proxy just for one election or for all future elections.
You can download the form which is just for one election from the Electoral Commission here
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the elections on 6th May 2021 is 27th April (although it may be possible to apply even nearer in an emergency, such as if you had to self-isolate becuase you tesetd positive for Coronavirus).
Postal Vote - This is where you are sent your ballot paper through the post and after completing it, return it by post. It doesn't cost anything to return as a pre-paid envelope is included with your voting pack.
You can download the form to register to vote by post from the Electoral Commission here
The deadline to apply for a postal vote for the elections on 6th May 2021 is 20th April.
Completed forms need to be returned to Halton Borough Council by 5pm on these dates. The address is:
Halton Borough Council
Electoral Registration Officer
Municipal Buildings
Kingsway
Widnes
WA8 7QF
For enquiries about whether you're on the electoral register and about proxy and postal voting you can contact Halton Borough Council on 0303 333 4300.
