Postal voters urged to make vote count

As 17,000 postal voting packs start dropping through letterboxes across Hambleton and Richmondshire, voters are being reminded to read the instructions carefully to make sure their vote is counted

When voting by post, voters need to fill in a form accompanying their ballot paper, giving their signature and date of birth. As a security measure, these are matched against the signature and date of birth the voter provided when they applied to vote by post.

Peter Simpson, Returning Officer for Hambleton and Richmondshire said: “Postal voting is growing in popularity as a convenient way to have your say.  But at every election, some postal votes are invalid, because the voter either forgot to sign the postal voting statement or wrote down the date they filled it in, rather than their date of birth.

“We’ve provided a guide to completing your postal ballot in your pack, so please do take the time to read it and provide the right information so that we can count your vote.  We need to receive your postal votes before polls close at 10pm on 5 May.”

If a postal voter has not received their ballot pack by Wednesday 27 April 2011 please contact the election helplines – for Hambleton residents on 01609 767131 or for Richmondshire residents on 01748 827096 for advice

The Electoral Commission, the independent elections and referendum watchdog, has sent every household an information booklet on the election and the referendum. Anyone who has not received a booklet can download it at http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/ or call 0800 3 280 280.

April 20, 2011