Don't Lose Your Voice At The Local Elections – Register Your Vote!

Cheshire East Council is calling on people to act now – so they don’t lose their vote at the local elections in May.

And the message is: If you can’t vote, you haven’t got a voice.

Residents are being urged to contact the Council to check that their details are on the official Register of Electors for 2011.

If you are not registered, you could miss out on being able to vote in the local elections on May 5 – when all 82 Cheshire East Council seats and more than 960 seats in town and parish councils are up for election.

There will also be a national referendum on the ‘alternative vote’ system, as part of the coalition Government’s agreement to put electoral reform to the ballot.

Cheshire East Council has been active in the drive to boost voter registration.

A van with large advertisement panels toured Cheshire East to promote a voter registration campaign last October. Bluetooth phone technology was also used to get the message to people’s mobiles as the van passed by.

Cheshire East Council Chief Executive Erika Wenzel, who will be the Returning Officer at the local elections, said: “Casting your vote is the lifeblood of our healthy and vibrant democracy.

“It is really important that people don’t miss out on the opportunity to vote and ensure they have a voice on the important local issues that affect their daily lives.

“Voting gives you a say on everything from roads and recycling, to education and climate change.

“The fact is, if you haven’t got a vote, you haven’t got a voice. I would urge everyone of voting age to take just a few minutes to ensure that they are registered to vote.”

To find out if you are registered, or to request a postal vote, ring: 0300 123 5016.

Alternatively email the Council’s democratic services team on: electoral.information@cheshireeast.gov.uk

To download voter registration forms, visit the Council’s Registering to Vote webpage at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/voting

For more information about the local elections and referendum vote, visit:

www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/elections

The closing date for the receipt of applications to register your vote is April 14.

Remember: registering your vote does not mean you have to – it just means you can if you want to.