Want to avoid polling stations and vote by post in the upcoming on Senedd election?

Time is running out if you want to register for a postal vote and avoid polling stations on Senedd election day.

Voting venues will be Covid compliant, with a raft of measures designed to keep you safe, but there are many reasons people still might not want or may be unable to vote in person.

You do not need to give a reason why you want to vote by post. It is your right and it is safe and secure.

With this in mind, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has put together a guide for anyone unfamiliar with postal voting.

Register

First of all, you need to make sure you are on the register of electors.

If you haven’t received a form detailing who in your household is registered to vote, or you have and your name wasn’t listed, now is the time to sort it out or you won’t have a chance to choose your preferred candidate/party.

To do this you must get your completed form to the appropriate electoral registration officer for your county (address below) by Monday, April 19.

Alternatively, the easiest way is to register to vote online at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

You must register to vote by midnight on Monday, April 19 to be able to take part in the Senedd elections.

Apply

If you haven’t voted by post before, or you need to make an amendment to your postal vote, your application or amendment form must arrive at your local Electoral Registration Office by Tuesday, April 20 at 5pm if you want to vote by post on May 6.

You can ask for a form from your local electoral services team (addresses and phone numbers below).

You can download a form from the UK Government’s website here

The UK Government website also has a Welsh Language form available.

You can also download a form from the Electoral Commission’s website here

The address of where to send your completed form can also be found by using this link.

Just scroll down the page, type your postcode in the box and press enter. The results will show you where to send your completed form.

If you’re unable to print the application form or need it in an accessible format, contact the electoral services team at your local council for help.

Once the electoral services team at your council has received the form you will be sent a postal voting pack, including your ballot papers.

Keep this safe and do not let anyone else use it, as this is your personal vote in the Senedd.

Ballot

If you lose you ballot paper or fill it in incorrectly you can get a replacement ballot paper in person from your Returning Officer at your local electoral registration office up until 5pm on polling day.

Once you have completed the ballot and chosen your preferred constituency member and regional choice take it in the return envelope to the postbox yourself.

If you can’t, ask someone you trust to take it for you or you can ask if your local council will pick it up.

Your completed ballot must be with your local authority by 10pm on polling day to be counted.

If you forget to post your ballot you can even take it to your local authority or your polling station on polling day.

Note: You will need to follow the same procedure to vote in the PCC election.

Address correspondence to the Electoral Services Team at Flintshire County Council – County Hall, Mold, CH7 6NR – Tel: 01352 702300