Referendum on Voting System

As well as local elections on May 5, there will be a referendum on the voting system used to elect MPs to the House of Commons

Voters will receive a ballot paper with the following question: At present, the UK uses the first-past-the-post system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the alternative vote system be used, instead?

Further information about how to vote in the referendum and what a yes or no result will mean is available from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

Voters unable to attend a polling station on May 5 can still apply to vote by proxy.

Proxy votes are available to people unable to attend a polling station, for example due to holiday, disability or military service, who can appoint someone, who must be over 18 years old and a registered elector, to vote on their behalf.

Following a change in the law, proxy voters must now provide their date of birth and signature, known as "personal identifiers."

The regulations apply to existing proxy voters, as well as those applying to vote by proxy for the first time.

Emergency proxy votes are also available until Election Day for medical reasons only.

The deadline for new applications to vote by proxy, except medical emergencies, is 5pm on Thursday, April 21.

Further details are available from Ribble Valley Borough Council's elections team on 01200 414411.