Elections and voting

When is the election? Which elections are taking place?

On Thursday 6 May, residents in North Lincolnshire will be voting for the above listed vacancies.

How can I vote at the May 2021 elections?

There are a number of ways to have your say – you can vote in a polling station, by post, or by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf, known as a proxy vote. To vote in any election in the UK, you must be registered to vote. The deadline to register is midnight on 19 April 2021.

How do I register to vote?

It takes 5 minutes to register and you can do this online at the government website.

If you’re unable to register online, you can apply by post. You can download the relevant forms from the Electoral Commission website.

If you were registered to vote in the last election and your details have not changed, you don’t need to take any action. If in doubt, you can check with us on 01724 296245.

How can I apply to vote by post or proxy?

To apply to vote by post you need to download, print and fill in a postal vote application form. Once you have completed the form and signed it, you need to send it to the electoral services team (address in contact section below), or you can email scanned forms to elections@northlincs.gov.uk. If you can’t print the form, contact the electoral services team so that a form can be posted to you.

If you want to vote by post, you can apply to do this now. This will make sure your application is processed early, and your postal vote can be sent to you more quickly once the candidates for the elections are confirmed.

If you aren’t able to vote in person, you can ask someone you trust to vote for you. This is called a proxy vote and the person is often referred to as your proxy.

To apply for a proxy vote, complete the form to vote by proxy, explaining why you can’t get to your polling station in person. The person voting on your behalf can either go to your polling station to vote, or can apply to vote for you by post.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote in England and Wales is 5pm on 20 April.  The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on 27 April.

If you already have a postal or proxy vote arrangement in place, and your details have not changed, you don’t need to take any action. If in doubt, you can check with us elections@northlincs.gov.uk.

Don’t forget that however you choose to vote, you must be registered first.

How do you protect postal voting from fraud?

When voting by post, you should mark your vote on the ballot paper in secret, and seal the envelope yourself.

You will be asked to give your date of birth and signature when applying for a postal or proxy vote. When you return your postal voting pack you will again be asked for your signature and date of birth, and these will be checked against those you have already provided in order to confirm your identity.

Your signature and date of birth are separated from your ballot paper before it is looked at or counted, so giving this information will not affect the secrecy of your vote.

Is voting in person safe?

Polling stations will be safe places to vote. If you choose to vote in person, you can keep yourself and others safe by:

• wearing a face covering
• bringing your own pen or pencil
• cleaning your hands when entering and leaving the polling station
• keeping a safe distance.

You should not attend the polling station if you have symptoms of Covid-19, or if you have been asked to self-isolate.

We will continue to follow the most up to date public health guidance as we prepare for the elections, and will update this page as more information and guidance becomes available.

What happens if I fall ill with Covid-19 or need to self-isolate at the last minute?

If you are self-isolating or become unwell as a result of Covid-19 shortly before polling day, or on the day itself, you don’t need to miss out on your vote. You will be able to apply for an emergency proxy vote – where someone you trust can vote on your behalf. Speak to the electoral registration team at your local council who will tell you what you need to do to arrange this.

Will I need to bring my own pen or pencil?

Yes, you should bring your own pen and pencil to minimise contact. There will be clean pencils available at the polling station if you forget to bring your own.

Is it safer to vote by post, instead of going in person?

Polling stations will be safe places to vote in May, but you can choose to apply to vote by post or by proxy instead if you wish.

New Register – e-communication or letter

This year the Government has reformed the way councils compile the new register.  It’s called Canvass Reform 2020.  Each year, all local authorities will have their current electors data matched against records held by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP).  When we get the results back all properties will be identified by a specific route.  All electors matched in a property will go into Route 1 and all empty properties or where there is one or more unmatched elector will go into Route 2.

For Route 1 properties, to save the council some money, we will be asking people to confirm that the information we have on the electoral register is correct by email or text.  This communication will be sent in July.  There will be a link to complete your response online and when accessed will look like this https://www.elecreg.co.uk/northlincs.  The communication will contain two security codes unique to a property.   If we do not hold any contact details we will send a letter in August addressed to The Occupier asking you to check who is listed on the form.  If there are no changes then you do not need to do anything.  The form will indicate the options for a response if there is a change to be made.

You are helping the environment by allowing us to contact you by email or text, otherwise we have to send you the letter in the post.  If you have any doubt as to the authenticity of the communication, please contact Electoral Services on 01724 296245.

Route 2 properties will be sent a Canvass Form in August.  The letter will be addressed to The Occupier and must be completed.  The letter will contain the two part security code for the response.  If we have not received a response then one of our canvassers will call in September/October and help you to complete the Canvass Form.  All canvassers will carry an identity card.   You can call our helpline number if you have any concerns.

Everyone is responsible for their own registration. This is known as Individual Electoral Registration (IER).

You can now register online, quickly and easily. If you are not registered you cannot vote.

How do I register?

You can now register online in just five minutes. You’ll need to give your name, address, date of birth and national insurance number.

You can find your national insurance number on documents such as payslips, letters about benefits and tax returns. What to do if you can’t find your national insurance number.

Why do I need to register to vote?

• Residents have to be on the full electoral register by law. Failure to register can incur a civil penalty of £80
• You can only vote in an election if you register to vote
• Credit Reference Agencies use the electoral register when checking if a person has a good credit rating. If you aren’t listed you may have difficulty applying for a loan, credit card, mortgage, or in opening a bank account
• Under certain circumstances you can register anonymously but will have to follow legal procedures to do so

Data protection

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect from 25 May 2018.  Together with the Data Protection Bill it will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), and will apply to the processing of all personal data. Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers are personally responsible for ensuring that they comply with the requirements of the GDPR.

Data protection requirements have been in place for many years. Although the GDPR does broaden the requirements, particularly in relation to demonstrating accountability and transparency, many of the key principles are the same as those in the DPA 1998.

Our Privacy Notice can be found on our data protection page.

Who can register to vote in North Lincolnshire?

To register to vote in North Lincolnshire you must:

• live in the district;
• be 18 years of age or over or must turn 18 during the life of the register;
• be a British, Irish, Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the European Union. See list of  eligible nationals from Commonwealth and EU countries [PDF, 11Kb].

Students can register at their home and their term time address but they cannot vote twice in a UK Parliamentary or European Parliamentary election.

When will I be registered – Rolling Registration?

Once the new register is published in December the register is updated every month up until September. This is known as rolling registration. In the autumn an annual canvass is done to compile the new register.

We produce two versions of the register of electors, the full register and the open register.

The full register includes the name and address of everyone in North Lincolnshire who has registered to vote. Anyone can view the register during office hours at Church Square House, 30-40 High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 6NL . You can also view a copy at Scunthorpe Central, Barton Library and Brigg Library.

By law, only certain people and organisations can have copies of the full register and it can only be used for certain things, such as elections, law enforcement and checking applications for credit. It is a criminal offence for any of these organisations to pass on information from the full register to anyone else.

The open register can be bought by anyone and used for any reason. You can choose not to be on the open register.

How can I opt in or out of the open register?

To opt in (be put back on the open register) or opt out (be removed from the open register). You can either:

• Fill out a new full registration online on the GOV.UK website and opt in or out when asked about the open register
• Call the elections office during opening hours on 01724 296245

Polling stations and polling districts in North Lincolnshire are shown on our online map. You can also use your address to find your poll station on our website.

Although everyone who is registered to vote should receive a polling card before election day, as long as you are registered to vote, and you know where your polling station, you do not need your card.

You do not need to take your polling card with to be able to vote.

If you need to check that you are registered to vote, please contact us.

Voting by post

You can apply for a postal vote for any reason, for example:

• If you are on holiday
• If you work away
• If  you cannot manage to get to your polling station

To apply to vote by post you need to download and complete an application to vote by post [PDF, 218Kb]. Return it to the Elections Office at Church Square House, 30-40 High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 6NL.

Alternatively, you can contact the Elections Office on elections@northlincs.gov.uk or by calling 01724 296245 and a form will be posted out to you.

You cannot register to vote by post online because we need to see your signature. However, if you are able to fill in and sign the application form and scan it to us via email, we will accept it. Please call us to confirm it has been received.

Voting by proxy

A proxy is a friend or relative who you can appoint to go to your polling station on election day and vote on your behalf. You should instruct your proxy who you want to vote for. You can appoint a proxy, for example:

• If you work away
• If you will not be able to vote in person on election day

To apply to vote by proxy you will need to download and complete an application to vote by proxy [PDF, 397Kb] and return it to the Elections Office at Church Square House, 30-40 High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 6NL.

A proxy vote can also be made by post. Download and complete an application for proxy to vote by post [PDF, 220Kb].

Alternatively, you can contact the Elections Office on elections@northlincs.gov.uk or by calling 01724 296245 and a form will be posted out to you.

You cannot register to vote by proxy online because we need to see your signature. However, if you are able to fill in and sign the application form and scan it to us via email, we will accept it. Please call us to confirm it has been received.

Emergency proxy votes

If you become ill, or cannot vote yourself due to last-minute work commitments, you can apply for an emergency proxy vote up to 5pm on polling day.

If you need to apply for an emergency proxy vote for the General Election on 12 December 2019, you must return a paper request to us by 5pm on 12 December 2019.

You cannot apply for an emergency proxy vote online as we need to see your signature. However, if you are able to fill in and sign the application form and scan it to us via email, we will accept it. Please call us to confirm it has been received.

• Emergency proxy application form [PDF, 229Kb]

If you are interested in becoming a poll clerk for elections that take place in North Lincolnshire, please contact us using the details below.

We will then send you a “New starter” form to complete and add you to our database of available people.

Many people are interested in becoming poll clerks and complete the new starter form. We will only contact you if we need you during the next election. Unfortunately we cannot contact everyone who we do not need for that election. However, we will keep your details in line with GDPR legislation and may contact you for future elections if you agree to this.

Details of results in previous elections in North Lincolnshire

List of elections:

12 December 2019 UK Parliamentary General Elections (Scunthorpe and Brigg & Goole) results [PDF, 206Kb]

3 October 2019 –  Barton Town Council Results [PDF, 149Kb]

23 May 2019 – European Parliamentary election Regional Result – Yorkshire and the Humber Region [PDF, 52Kb]. Further European Parliamentary election results for the Yorkshire and the Humber Region are available on the Leeds City Council website.

2 May 2019 – Bottesford Town Council ward election results [PDF, 55Kb]

2 May 2019 – Town and Parish Council election results [PDF, 88Kb]

2 May 2019 – Local Government election results [PDF, 83Kb]

3 January 2019 – South Killingholme Parish Council election [PDF, 185Kb]

8 November 2018 – Goxhill Parish Council election [PDF, 215Kb]

13 September 2018 – Hibaldstow Parish Council election [PDF, 184Kb]

2 August 2018 – Keadby with Althorpe Parish Council election [PDF, 271Kb]

22 March 2018 – West Butterwick Parish Council election [PDF, 232Kb]

4 January 2018 – South Killingholme Parish Council election [PDF, 225Kb]

7 December 2017 – Owston Ferry Parish Council election [PDF, 94Kb]

8 June 2017 – Local Government Election: Brumby [PDF, 89Kb]

8 June 2017 – Parliamentary Election Brigg and Goole [PDF, 89Kb] and Scunthorpe [PDF, 89Kb]

23 June 2016 – EU Referendum declaration of count totals for North Lincolnshire [PDF, 246Kb]

For results of elections and polls prior to this date, please contact the Elections Office on elections@northlincs.gov.uk.

THE LOCAL AUTHORITY (REFERENDUMS) (PETITIONS) (ENGLAND) REGULATIONS 2011

The Local Government Act 2000 provides that electors in the council’s area can petition the council to hold a referendum on whether a local authority should change to a different form of governance.

A petition must be signed by at least five per cent of the local government electors for the district. In accordance with the above regulations, the number that is equal to five per cent of the number of local government electors shown in the revised register of electors having effect on the 15 February 2020 is 6,534.  This figure will have effect for the purposes of determining the validity of petitions presented from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.

Denise Hyde

Dated: 15 February 2020