People urged to vote by post and have their say in a safe way

Wiltshire Council is urging people to register to vote by post, with a number of elections and referendums due to take place later this spring.

On 6 May, registered voters will be able to have their say in the Police and Crime Commissioner, unitary, and town and parish council elections, as well as a number of neighbourhood planning referendums.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Wiltshire's Returning Officer is asking that as many people as possible register to vote via post.

To avoid the risk of fraud, a signature is required when applying for a postal vote. Anyone unable to print a postal vote application form at home should call Wiltshire Council on 0300 456 0112 and they can arrange for a copy to be posted out.

For those who haven't already registered to vote by post, details on how to do so are detailed on the Household Enquiry Form that the council recently sent to households. The Household Enquiry Form is to help the council ensure its electoral register records are as up to date as possible.

People can also visit the Government postal vote page (opens new window) for more information and to get a form.

To manage the amount of elections, and to keep everyone safe, the verification and counts will be spread over four days.

The council will also do everything it can to keep polling stations and count centres as safe as possible for voters and staff by making sure venues are COVID-secure.

Terence Herbert, Wiltshire Council's Chief Executive, and Returning Officer, said:

It's vital to our way of life that we live in a democratic county and we don't want to let the pandemic get in the way of that.

I urge everyone to vote by post if they can. We don't know what the picture will be in the spring, but we know some people will understandably be reluctant to visit a polling station, even though we will make them COVID-secure.

Voting by post is the easiest and safest way to have your say.

People should visit Wiltshire Council's election pages for all the information they need on the upcoming elections.