Desborough Town Council Election and Raunds Town Council Election

Residents in the Loatland ward of Desborough will be able to vote for a new town councillor and residents in the Windmill ward of Raunds will be able to vote for a new town councillor on Thursday 4 August 2022.

• Notice of Poll - Desborough Town Council
• Notice of Poll - Raunds Town Council
• Notice Of Election - Desborough Town Council
• Notice Of Election - Raunds Town Council
• Statement of persons nominated - Desborough Loatland
• Statement of persons nominated - Raunds Windmill

For any queries, please contact the elections team at 01832 742076 or email [email protected]. 

Polling Stations – important information

• Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, polling station voters are encouraged to bring their own pen or pencil to mark the ballot paper for their own safety. Single-use pens will be provided to those that do not bring a pen
• There are changes to some usual polling stations due to school holidays which will be clearly indicated on poll cards.

Key dates

Postal votes

Apply for a postal vote

Complete an application to vote by post form or call 01832 742076 if you need a paper copy.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 20 July. Applicants must already be registered to vote.

Returning postal votes

Complete and return your postal vote as soon as possible using the freepost envelope provided. Only postal votes that are received by 10pm on polling day are counted. If you have a postal vote, you will not be able to vote in the polling station on polling day.

If you forget to send your postal vote back in time, completed postal vote packs can be handed into the polling station on polling day (Thursday 4 August) between 7am and 10pm.

Lost or spoilt postal votes

Replacement packs can be issued from Friday 29 July until 5pm on polling day. From 5pm on the day before polling, replacement postal ballot packs can only be issued in person.

You will need to bring proof of identification: either one photographic ID such as a passport or driving licence, or two pieces of ID which confirm your name and address (such as a bank statement, utility bill or official letter). A bank card is not accepted as valid identification. Please call 01832 742076 if you require assistance.

Registering to vote

How to register

It takes less than three minutes to register to vote online. It helps to have your National Insurance number to hand, which can be found on your payslip, P60, or letters about tax, pensions and benefits. You will need to provide your National Insurance number as part of your application.

You can also register to vote over the phone on 01832 742076 or by completing a paper form. Please bear in mind that you will still need to provide your National Insurance number to apply via telephone or a paper form.

Don’t leave your registration until the last minute, just in case you have any problems.

Changing name, address, or nationality

If you have changed your name, nationality or address recently and have not re-registered yourself to vote, you must do so by 11:59pm on Tuesday 19 July - the easiest way to register is online. You will need to provide your National Insurance number as part of your application.

Deadline to register

Deadline for voter registration is 11:59pm on Tuesday 19 July.

You won’t be able to vote on Thursday 4 August if you register to vote after this deadline.

Proxy Votes

A proxy vote is where an elector appoints someone that they trust to vote on their behalf.

Both the elector and proxy voter must already be registered and eligible to vote in the relevant type of election.

The nominated proxy will need to either be able to vote in person at the polling station assigned to the elector or cast their proxy vote by post.

Once a proxy has been appointed the elector and their proxy will receive a letter and poll card to inform that the arrangement has been accepted.

Both the letter and poll card are for information purposes only and do not need to be brought to the polling station in order to vote at the polling station, unless the elector is anonymous.

Please note, where a proxy has been appointed to vote at a polling station, the elector can vote at the polling station themselves if they wish – but only if the proxy has not already voted on their behalf.

Proxy vote by post

In order for your proxy to vote by post, they must complete an application to vote by post and return it by the postal vote deadline (5pm on Wednesday 20 July).

The proxy will receive a letter and/or poll card at their address confirming the details dependent on when they applied for a postal proxy vote.

The nominated proxy should call the elections office on 01832 742076 or email [email protected] to request a postal proxy application once they have been appointed.

Apply for a proxy vote

Complete an application to vote by proxy form or call 01832 742076 if you need a paper copy.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Wednesday 27 July.

Unexpected emergency situations

After 5pm on Wednesday 27 July until 5pm on polling day, voting by emergency proxy may be available but only under specific extenuating circumstances. If you have suffered a medical emergency, have been called away to work, or have been advised to self-isolate because of a positive Covid-19 test, then you can apply to vote by emergency proxy.

The above must have occurred after 5pm on Wednesday 27 July. If they occur beforehand then you can register for a normal proxy vote. Applications to vote by emergency proxy must be attested by a medical professional or by your employer in the case of a medical emergency or because of being called away to work respectively.

If you believe you qualify and wish to vote by emergency proxy, then please contact the elections team on 01832 742076 or by emailing [email protected]. Applications to vote by emergency proxy must reach the team by 5pm on polling day in order to be considered for this election or referendum.

Voting

You must be:

• Registered to vote in either the Loatland ward of Desborough or Windmill ward of Raunds
• 18 or over on 4 August 2022
• A UK, Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen

A qualifying Commonwealth citizen is someone who has leave to enter or remain in the UK or does not require such leave. The list of qualifying countries, British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories can be found on the Electoral Commission website.

How to vote

If you do not have a postal or proxy vote, you can cast your vote in person at the polling station. Your polling station is open from 7am to 10pm.

Poll cards

You don’t need your poll card to be able to vote unless you are registered anonymously. If you bring it with you, please take it with you when you leave the polling station.

Polling station

Your polling station is indicated on your poll card. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.

Covid-19 measures

The following measures may be implemented wherever practicable:

• Separate entrances and exits where possible.
• Altered layouts to allow for social distancing when waiting to vote and when completing a ballot paper.
• Polling station staff wearing PPE and behind perspex screens
• Voters asked to wear face coverings where possible and use hand sanitiser when they enter the polling station
• Voters encouraged to bring their own pen or pencil
• Polling booths regularly sanitised

These measures may mean electors wait longer than usual to be able to cast their vote. Anyone queuing to vote at their allocated polling station by 10pm will still be able to vote. The polling station team will close the queue at 10pm, but everyone who arrived while the queue was open by 10pm will still be able to cast their vote.

More about the candidates

Candidates and political parties might campaign by door knocking and distributing leaflets (subject to any Covid-19 restrictions in force at that time).

Results

Attending the verification and count

Attendance at the verification and count is either defined by law or at the invitation of the Returning Officer. Attendance will also be on a strict basis due to capacity and Covid-19 considerations. Please contact the elections team on 01832 742076 or email [email protected].

Results announcement

Results will be announced on @NNorthantsC on Twitter, on our website and on public noticeboards in North Northamptonshire Council customer centres, Desborough and Raunds.

Last updated 27 July 2022