Election General

General Election - 6th May 2010

Polling Stations are open between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm

The Prime Minister has announced that the Parliamentary (General) Election is to be held on Thursday 6th May.

Additionally, there will be a local by-election on the same day for voters in Broadstone Ward to elect a Borough of Poole Councillor.  Please see our Broadstone By-Election page for more information about this by-election.

LATEST INFORMATION

13th April - We have now received the official writs, requiring the Returning Officer to hold the elections

13th April - Our printers have started sending out Poll Cards; they are being delivered by Royal Mail over a period of a few days

15th April - The Notices of Election for the Poole and Mid-Dorset and North Poole Constituencies have been published.  Nomination Papers are being received by the Acting Returning Officer by appointment betweeen 10:00 am and 4:00 pm until Tuesday 20th April.

20th April - Following the close of nominations, we have now published the Statements of Persons Nominated for the Poole and Mid Dorset and North Poole constituencies

20th April - It is now too late to add names to the Electoral Register and apply for Postal Votes for this election; it is still possible to apply for a Proxy Vote, where someone else votes on your behalf - but the deadline for this is Tuesday 27th April

27th April - The deadline for applications for Proxy Votes for the election has now passed

On this page:

• Timescale
• Parliamentary Constituencies
• Voting
• The Official Writ
• Statements of Persons Nominated
• The Count and Announcement of Results
• Information for Candidates
• Useful contacts

You need to have your name on the Electoral Register and also be a citizen of one of the following countries in order to be able to vote at the General Election.

• Great Britain
• Republic of Ireland
• Cyprus
• Malta
• Commonwealth countries (if you have leave to enter or remain in the UK or do not require it)

(Citizens of other European Union countries are not able to vote in this election even if they have their names on the Electoral Register).

It's not too late to get your name on the Register, so make sure you don't miss out! If you want to check whether your name is on the Register, do please check with the Electoral Services Office (see the contact details on the right). For further information, please see Electoral Register.

TIMESCALE

Here is the timescale of the main events leading up to Polling Day:

PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES

The Borough of Poole now falls into 3 different Parliamentary constituencies. Please note that this does not affect which Council area you live in - everyone in the Wards listed below are still residents of the Borough of Poole.

A few changes are being made by the government's Boundary Commission that take effect from this General Election. This list shows the constituencies; and lets you check which one you will be in:

Mid-Dorset and North Poole Constituency

The following Wards: Broadstone, Canford Heath East, Canford Heath West, Merley and Bearwood (and also parts of East Dorset and Purbeck District Council areas)

Poole Constituency

The following Wards: Branksome West, Canford Cliffs, Creekmoor(*), Hamworthy East, Hamworthy West, Newtown, Oakdale, Parkstone, Penn Hill, Poole Town

Bournemouth West Constituency

The following Wards: Alderney(*), Branksome East(*) (and also part of Bournemouth Borough Council area)

(*) - changed from the previous arrangement

If you aren't sure which Ward you live in, please contact Electoral Services, or use Your Poole - enter your postcode, select your address from the list, then click on [Council and Democracy].

VOTING

Here is a summary of the arrangements for voting in this election. Please also see our pages about voting for further information.

Everyone eligible to vote will be sent a Poll Card shortly before the election. There are 3 ways that people can vote in this election:

IN PERSON

The Poll Card has information about the location of your Polling Station. Please check it carefully, as some Polling Station locations have been changed. (You will also be able to find the details of your Polling Station using Your Poole - enter your postcode, then select your address from the list and look under My Property - Council and Democracy). Polling Stations will be open between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm. It helps if you take your Poll Card with you when you go to vote, but it is not essential, so if you haven't received one, or have lost it, just tell the Polling Station staff your name and address.

BY POST

Anyone is allowed to vote by post, but you do need to apply for this beforehand (the deadline for receiving applications is 11 working days before Election Day). If you want to apply for a postal vote, or to check whether you already have one, please contact the Electoral Services Office.

BY PROXY

You can appoint someone else to act as your proxy and vote on your behalf (either in person or by post). You need to apply for this in advance - the deadline is 6 working days before the election. You will need to state the reason for asking for the appointment of the proxy, and if it is for more than one election your application will need to be 'supported' by a 'qualified person'. In addition, it is possible to appoint a proxy in the case of a medical emergency that occurs between 6 days before the election and 5:00 pm on Election Day. Please contact the Electoral Services Office for more information about proxy voting.

THE OFFICIAL WRIT

Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories Queen Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith To the Returning Officer for the [xxx] Constituency Greeting

Whereas by the advice of Our Council We have ordered a Parliament to be holden at Westminster on the eighteenth day of May next We Command you that due notice being first given you do cause election to be made according to law of a Member to serve in Parliament for the said [xxx] Constituency And that you do cause the name of such Member when so elected whether he be present or absent to be certified to Us in Our Chancery without delay

Witness Ourself at Westminster the twelfth day of April in the fifty-ninth year of Our Reign and in the year of Our Lord Two thousand and ten

CHAKRABARTI

To the Returning Officer for the [xxx] Constituency

A writ of a new election of a Member for the said Constituency

CHAKRABARTI

Crown Office in Chancery, Palace of Westminster

 STATEMENTS OF PERSONS NOMINATED

Election of a Member of Parliament 

The following is a statement of the persons nominated for election as a Member of Parliament for

Poole 

*Decision of the Returning Officer that the nomination is invalid or other reason why a person nominated no longer stands nominated.

The persons above against whose name no entry is made in the last column have been and stand validly nominated.

The following is a statement of the persons nominated for election as a Member of Parliament for

Mid-Dorset and North Poole

*Decision of the Returning Officer that the nomination is invalid or other reason why a person nominated no longer stands nominated.

The persons above against whose name no entry is made in the last column have been and stand validly nominated.

THE COUNT AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS

The Counting of votes for the two Constituencies of Poole and Mid-Dorset and North Poole will take place on the evening of Election Day, starting shortly after the close of poll. The results will be announced at the end of the count process.

Bournemouth Borough Council is responsible for the counting of votes and announcement of results for Bournemouth West Constituency. For more information about elections in Bournemouth, visit their website .

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

If you are interested in standing as a Candidate for this election, there are certain procedures that you need to follow.  The Electoral Commission has prepared Guidance for Candidates  and you are recommended to read this.

In order to stand as a Candidate you need to hand the full set of your nomination papers, together with a deposit of £500, to the Acting Returning Officer for the appropriate Constituency, by 4:00 pm on the 11th working day before the day of the Poll (If the election is held on 6th May, this will be Tuesday 20th April).

Further information about the process can be obtained from Mr Paul Morris, Acting Returning Officer for the constituencies of Poole and Mid-Dorset and North Poole.

USEFUL CONTACTS

The Electoral Commission - the independent body set up by Parliament to oversee the democratic process, including elections

The UK Parliament   - the website of both Houses of Parliament

Polls Apart - information from Scope, particularly concerned with accessibility of Polling Stations

Election Maps - where you can see the boundaries of constituencies overlaid on local maps