Have you thought about how to vote?

There are local council elections for Hastings Borough Council on Thursday 2 May, with half of the council seats up for re-election, one councillor in each ward. There will also be an election for the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) on the same date.

If you want to have your say in who represents you on the local council, you must be registered to vote, and for the first time in Hastings, you must bring an accepted form of photo identification to vote at a polling station. This is due to new rules brought in across the country by the government in the Elections Act 2022.

To encourage everyone to think about how they are going to vote in the elections, the council is running an awareness campaign about the changes being brought in.

Keep your eyes open for the brightly coloured graphics which will be appearing on buses, bus stops and posters near you soon. You will also see the images on our social media channels and in our weekly residents' newsletter.

If you don't have an accepted form of photo ID you can apply for a free voter authority certificate which will allow you to vote at a polling station. Applications are made to the council and a certificate will be posted to you. The deadline for applying is 5pm on 24 April 2024 for these elections, but we encourage you to apply as early as possible if you can.

Jane Hartnell, Local Returning Officer, said: "It's really important that everyone is aware of the changes to the voting process this year, as it is the first time they will be in force in Hastings. We hope that the bright and eye-catching graphics will help spread the message to all our residents across the town. I'd encourage you to talk to family and friends and make sure they are aware of the changes and how they intend to vote. We are aware that lots of residents may not have acceptable photo ID, if you have friends or family who do not, please help them apply early for their free voter authority certificate so they can vote in person on 2 May."

The new law also includes changes to make polling stations more accessible, and includes provision for privacy for anyone who needs to remove a head or face covering at a polling station to have their ID checked.

If you can't vote in person on election day, you can apply to vote by post or proxy. These also have new rules and applicants will have to prove their identity during the application process. If you want to do this to vote in May, please make sure you have checked the changes on our website.

Find out more about the changes to how you can vote at www.hastings.gov.uk/elections.

Notes to editors:
Important dates:

• Tuesday 16 April 2024 - deadline to register to vote in May elections
• 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024 - deadline to vote by post in May elections
• 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024 - deadline to vote by proxy in May elections
• 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024 - deadline to apply for voter authority certificate