Elections today - 4 June 2009
The European Parliamentary and Hampshire County Council Elections take place today, Thursday 4 June 2009. To be entitled to vote in the elections, your name must be on the Register of Electors.
Follow the local election count live
You can follow all the local election news live on Friday 5 June via the Winchester City Council Twitter page - twitter.com/winchestercity.
Tweet updates will be made as it all happens direct from the Guildhall in Winchester. To follow Winchester City Council on Twitter go to http://twitter.com.
Existing Users
If you already have an account log in, search for Winchester City Council and click to follow.
New Users
Go to http://twitter.com and click 'get started-join'. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account. Search for 'Winchester City Council' and select 'Follow'. you will then be able to see all the news as it happens on your homepage and on the Winchester City Council page.
Updates on your Mobile Phone
County Elections - 4 June 2009
Every four years there is a county-wide election in which all 75 electoral divisions choose their representatives. The Winchester district is represented by seven County Councillors.
European Elections – 4 June 2009
Elections for the European Parliament take place every five years.
There are currently 78 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) representing the UK; after the 2009 elections there will be 72 UK MEPs. The UK is divided into 12 regions, and each region has between three and ten MEPs.
The South East Region is the largest in the UK and returns 10 Members to the European Parliament (MEPs).
For more information on the European Parliament, visit www.europarl.org.uk.
Election Candidates
The list of candidates for the 4 June 2009 elections are available at the bottom of the page (Statement of Persons Nominated)
Registering to Vote
To be included on the Register of Electors, you will need to complete a Voter Registration form and return it to the Council offices. Some conditions apply: for example, you must be a British, Commonwealth, Irish or European citizen over the age of 18. The homeless, remand prisoners, and mental health patients can also register.
Please note: The deadline for registering to vote in the 4 June elections was 19 May 2009.
How to Vote
If you are on the Register of Electors, you should receive a poll card a few weeks before the elections. This will tell you how, where and when to vote. This card is for information only so don't worry if you lose it or forget it - you can still vote without the poll card but it is easier if you have it with you.
On the day of the election you should go to the polling station between 7am and 10pm. There you will be given a ballot paper which will say how many candidates or parties you can vote for.
Take the ballot paper to one of the polling booths and put a cross in the box next to the name of the candidate or party you want to support. Do not write anything else on the ballot paper, otherwise your vote might not count.
Once you have voted you must fold the ballot paper to hide your vote, and show your folded ballot paper to the clerk before you put it in the locked ballot box. You don't have to tell anyone who you voted for.
If you know you will not be able to get to the polling station on election day, you can apply to vote by postal or proxy vote.
Postal and Proxy Voting
The deadline for new Postal Vote applications, or to amend existing postal or proxy voting arrangements, for the 4 June elections was 19 May 2009. The deadline for new proxy applications was 27 May 2009. For more information about Postal Voting and Proxy Voting, please refer to the Elections - Absent Votes section in the left-hand menu.
Further guidance on how to vote
If you would like further general guidance on how you can vote in an election, visit the Electoral Commission’s website at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.
Please note: The deadline for registering to vote in the 4 June elections was 19 May 2009.