Just over two weeks left to register to vote in local elections on 1 May

Wiltshire Council is reminding residents that the deadline to register to vote in these elections is midnight on Friday 11 April if they're not already registered.

Elections will take place for 98 Unitary Wiltshire Councillors and for the councillors in Parish, City and Town Councils in Wiltshire. The Notice of Election for the Unitary and Parish/Town/City elections have been published and can be found at https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/local-elections.

The key dates for the elections are: 

• People have until midnight on Friday 11 April to register to vote if they're not already registered - https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote  
• People have until 5pm on Monday 14 April to apply for a postal vote - https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.  
• People have until 5pm on Monday 14 April to change or cancel an existing postal or proxy vote.  
• People have until 5pm on Wednesday 23 April to apply for a new proxy vote (for someone to vote on their behalf) - https://www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.  
• People have until 5pm on Wednesday 23 April if they want to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (if they don't have photo ID) - https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate 
• Polls are open on Thursday 1 May from 7am - 10pm  
• Election results confirmed Friday 2 - Saturday 3 May 

Returning Officer for Wiltshire, Lucy Townsend, said: Local elections may seem small to some, but they have a big impact. Your vote in local elections directly impacts your community, so I strongly encourage everyone eligible to ensure they are registered to vote. 

Voting in local elections will have an impact on who makes the decisions that will affect people's day to day lives. It only takes a few minutes to register to vote.  

Our advice for those wishing to vote by post is to apply as soon as possible, and for everyone planning to vote on election day itself is to make sure they have valid photo ID or apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. Veteran Cards are now an accepted form of ID and can be used in this election.  

We'll be organising more elections in Wiltshire than most other areas in the country and behind the scenes my team will be working round the clock to ensure a smooth election process for residents. 

For a list of accepted forms of photo ID people should visit https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id.  

Poll cards were sent out a few weeks ago, which will show the polling station location and also the key deadline dates above. People can also find their local polling station at https://wheredoivote.co.uk/. If you have recently moved or will be moving in the next three weeks, make sure you are registered at your new address by midnight on 11 April.

For more information about the local elections, people can visit https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/local-elections.