Residents in Somerset go to the polls this week to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner for the Avon and Somerset Police force area.
There is also a by election for the vacant seat in the two-seat Mendip South division on Somerset Council.
Polling stations open at 7am on Thursday 2 May and close at 10pm – information on your polling station can be found on the poll card issued and can also be checked here: https://wheredoivote.co.uk/
People planning to vote in person at a polling station must bring photo ID. Acceptable ID includes:
- Passport
- Driving licence (including provisional license)
- Blue badge
- Certain concessionary travel cards
- Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- Biometric Immigration document
- Defence identity card
- Certain national identity cards
You will only need to show one form of photo ID, but it needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. The name on your ID must be the same name you used to register to vote.
For more information, including the full list of accepted forms of photo ID, visit the Electoral Commission website or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.
If you have a postal vote, please return these as soon as possible, preferably via Royal Mail. Changes to the way Somerset Council receives postal votes has changed, following a change in the law.
This means that when someone hands in a postal vote at a reception point or at a polling station, a Postal Vote Return form must now also be completed. This could be time-consuming. So, voters are being encouraged to use Royal Mail and post their vote in good time for it to be counted.
Votes are being counted overnight on 2-3 May and the results will be published on Somerset Council’s website and the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election website.
