How do I Vote
By-Election Na Hearadh agus Ceann a Deas Nan Loch Ward - 8 October 2020
Eligible to Vote?
To be eligible to vote, you must be:
- 16 or over on 8 October 2020;
- Registered on the Register of Local Government Electors for the area
- British (including English, Scottish, Welsh or from Northern Ireland), Irish, European Union citizen, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national who has leave to enter or remain in the UK or does not require such leave
- Is not subject to any legal incapacity to vote (age apart)
To vote in the by-election, you must be registered by Tuesday 22 September 2020.
If you have any questions with regard to eligibility, please contact:
The Electoral Registration Officer
42 Point Street
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2XF
Tel: 01851 706262
Fax: 01851 706843
E-mail: ero@highland.gov.uk
Website: Electoral Registration Officer (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)
| Action | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Registering to Vote | Midnight, Tuesday 22 September 2020 |
| New Postal and Postal Proxy Vote Applications and Changes to Existing Postal, Postal Proxy or Proxy Votes | 5pm Wednesday 23 September 2020 |
| New Applications to Vote by Proxy | 5pm Wednesday 30 September 2020 |
| Emergency Proxy Applications | 5pm on Thursday 8 October 2020 |
Poll Cards
If your name is on the register of electors, you are aged 18 or over and you are eligible to vote in the above election, you will receive a poll card. This will tell you where your Polling Station (Opens in a new window or downloads a file) is and when it is open.
The card is for information only. Do not worry if you lose the card as you can still vote without it but it will make it easier if you take it to the Polling Station and show it to the Presiding Officer/Polling Clerk. If however, you do not receive a poll card, this could mean that you are registered at an old address or are not included on the register and you should contact the Electoral Registration Officer. If you are on the list of Absent Voters you will receive a postal voters' poll card. Poll Cards will be issued by 8 September 2020.
How do I Vote?
- in person at a polling place
- by post, or
- by proxy, if you meet the requirements
Voting in Person
To vote in person you should go to the Polling Station listed on your Poll Card.
Polling Station List (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)
Polling Stations (inc. photos) (4.1MB) (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)
Voting by Post
Anyone can vote by post. You can apply for a postal vote for a particular Election, for a set period of time or for all future Elections. To apply for a postal vote you should contact the Electoral Registration Officer or you can download a Postal Vote Application Form (250.3kB) (Opens in a new window or downloads a file). Applications to vote by post, or to cancel or alter existing postal votes/proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5.00pm on Wednesday 23 September 2020.
Personal Identifiers for Postal Voting
If you have applied for a new postal vote for these elections or if you already have a postal vote or a postal proxy you will have been asked by the Electoral Registration Officer to supply your date of birth and signature (in the case of a postal proxy you will have also been asked to supply the date of birth and signature of the person whom you have appointed as your proxy). These are called Personal Identifiers.
You will receive a Postal Voting Statement with your ballot paper and you will be requested to complete your date of birth and signature prior to returning it with your ballot paper unless you have requested a ‘waiver’ (if you are unable to provide a signature then you may request the Electoral Registration Officer to waive this requirement). Further information on applying for a "waiver" can be obtained from the Electoral Registration Officer.
All Returning Officers are now required to check Personal Identifiers on Postal Voting Statements returned and compare them with those previously supplied on your postal voting application.
Voting by Proxy
Voting by proxy means someone else votes on your behalf. You can apply for a proxy vote for a particular election, for a set period of time or for all future elections. Anyone can be your proxy as long as they are eligible to vote in the election and they are willing to vote on your behalf.
You have to provide a reason for needing a proxy vote. For example, maybe you can't get to the polling station on By-Election Day because:
- You are going to be away on holiday
- You have a physical condition that prevents you from getting to the polling place
- The kind of work you do means you can not get to the polling place
- You have to attend an educational course
- You are a Crown Servant or a member of Her Majesty's Armed Forces
To apply for a proxy vote you should contact the Electoral Registration Officer or you can download a Proxy Vote Application Form (169.0kB).
The deadline for changes to existing proxy votes is 5.00pm on Wednesday 23 September 2020. New applications to vote by proxy must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5.00pm, Wednesday 30 September 2020 and emergency proxy applications by 5.00pm, Thursday 8 October 2020.
How to Vote Using STV
- The ballot paper lists the name of each candidate along with their party name, party logo and their address.
- Rank the candidates in order of preference. Put a 1 next to your first-choice candidate, a 2 next to your second-choice, a 3 next to your third-choice, and so on. You can rank as few or as many candidates as you like.
- To be elected a candidate must reach a set amount of votes known as the quota.
- The votes are counted in stages. In the first stage only first preferences are counted. Anyone who reaches the quota is elected. Any votes received over the quota are not needed by the elected candidate and so are transferred to the second preference. If not enough candidates have then reached the quota, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and all of their votes are passed to the next preference on the ballot papers.
- This process is repeated until one candidate has been elected.