Cheshire East Council is urging people not to miss out on the chance to vote as the annual renewal of the Electoral Register gets under way.
Households have now been sent renewal forms, which they need to send back to the Council by November 15.
If people are not on the register they are not able to vote in elections. However, the Electoral Commission reckons that 44 per cent of those not on the Electoral Register mistakenly assume they are.
Meanwhile, a previous study also showed a marked gap between sign-up rates across the generations, with only just over half of 19-24 year-olds registered to vote (56 per cent), compared with 94 per cent of those aged over 65.
Leader of Cheshire East Council, Councillor Michael Jones, urged residents to return their forms.
He said: “Voting is the basic civil right for anyone living in a democracy. But it’s important that with rights come responsibilities.
“As we commemorate Remembrance Day it’s timely that we bear in mind our duty as citizens. A good way of doing that is to make sure as many people as possible are signed up to the electoral register.
“I would appeal to all the people of Cheshire East – whatever your politics – make sure you return the form to stay on the register. Don’t miss out on the chance to vote.”
Mike Suarez, Cheshire East Council’s chief executive and the Borough’s returning officer – the person legally responsible for running elections – added: “It just takes a few minutes to sign up and the form and accompanying information leaflet give details of how to register.”
The next elections facing Cheshire East voters are the European Parliamentary elections on May 22, 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment