To vote in Middlesbrough elections you must be:

• A British, Commonwealth or Irish Citizen or a citizen of a European Union Member State
• 16 or 17 years of age - you will be able to vote as soon as you are 18
• 18 years or over

Citizens of member states of the European Union can also apply separately to vote in European Parliamentary Elections from the UK, however this must be done annually

Your name must also be on the Electoral Register. For more information follow the link on the right – The Register of Electors

Poll Cards are normally delivered to all registered electors around two to three weeks before an election (where the election timetable allows), usually before the deadline for applications for postal or proxy votes.

Each member of your household who is eligible to vote should receive a poll card. The poll card will tell you:

• The date of the election
• Where your polling station is
• The hours of poll for all elections are 7.00am to 10.00pm

Postal poll cards and proxy poll cards are also sent to all electors who are registered to vote by post or by proxy. In the case of postal voters, this will give details of the address the postal vote will be sent to and an estimated date as to when the postal vote will be sent.

There are three ways that you can vote.

• In person
• By post
• By proxy

There will be at least two members of staff in the polling station – a Presiding Officer and one or more assistants (Poll Clerks).

You do not need to take your poll card with you with you when you go to vote, but if you do this will speed up the process when the polling clerk checks your details.

You will be asked by the staff for your name and address. It does not matter if you have lost or forgotten your poll card you will still be able to vote if you are registered.

When your details have been verified you will be given an official ballot paper. A mark will be made against the register to show that you have voted. You will not be able to vote again in the same election.

The ballot paper will state:

• How many candidates are standing
• The party the candidates represents
• How many candidates you can vote for

You should take your ballot paper to a polling booth. Polling booths are provided to allow you to cast your vote in secrecy. There will be a notice in the polling booth indicating how many candidates you can vote for. If you vote for more candidates than you are entitled to your vote will not be counted.

At the polling station the staff are there to help you and if you need someone to read you the list of candidates or help you mark your ballot paper they can do this.

After taking the ballot paper to one of the polling booths you will need to:

• Put a cross next to the name of the candidate you want to support
• Don’t write anything else on the ballot paper otherwise your vote may not be counted
• Fold the ballot paper in half to hide your vote
• Show the folded ballot paper to the clerk
• Put the folded ballot paper into the sealed/locked ballot box

If you make a mistake whilst marking your ballot paper you should ask the Presiding Officer for a replacement paper. Your spoilt ballot paper will be taken from you and will not be placed in the ballot box.

Every effort is made to ensure that going to the polling station to vote is accessible for everyone. Arrangements that Middlesbrough have provided for you include:

• Taking a Companion
• You can bring a companion along to help you. Your companion must either be a relative or someone else who is eligible to vote in the election.
• Wheelchair access
• All polling stations are accessible by wheelchair. If assistance is needed to get your wheelchair into the polling booth the staff there may be able to help.
• Large print ballot papers - All polling stations will be provided with a large print copy of the official ballot paper. The large print copy can be taken into the polling booth with you to assist you to mark the ballot paper.

A ‘Selector’
A special device, known as a ‘Selector’ will be available at each polling station. The Selector has been designed to enable visually impaired voters to mark the official ballot paper without assistance.

If you would like to make use of the Selector, make this known to the staff before you are handed a ballot paper. Staff at the polling station will explain to you how to use it, provide any assistance you may need and read you the names of the candidates and parties they represent to you before you make your vote.

The Selector is developed by Pakflatt (UK) with assistance from Surrey Voluntary Association for the Blind. If you would like to try out one of these devices before election day please contact Electoral Services 01642 729771.

I am unable to get to my polling station on election day. Can I still vote?

Receive your ballot paper by post rather than going in person to your allotted polling station.

If you do want to vote by post, follow the link on the right or contact Electoral Services.

A proxy voting arrangement is when an elector has appointed another person to vote on their behalf, either at their allotted polling station or by post (postal proxy).

If you do want to vote by proxy, follow the link on the right or contact Electoral Services.