Local Elections are taking place on May 5 – are you ready to vote?

THERE’S just one week left to register to vote in the May 5 Local Elections.

If you have registered to vote before, you can check that you are listed on the electoral register. However, you may need to register if your personal details have recently changed, if you have recently moved house, or you are voting for the first time.

Don’t forget, this is the first time that 16 and 17 year-olds also have the right to vote in Local Elections in Wales, so if you have young people in your household, please help them to register.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on 14 April – apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote – it takes just five minutes.

Voters in Carmarthenshire will be voting to choose who they wish to represent them in their local area on Carmarthenshire County Council and local town and community councils.

The candidates standing for election in each area are listed at www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/elections.

Following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales there are now 51 electoral wards in Carmarthenshire. It may mean that your address is in a different ward to previous Local Elections, and the name of your ward may have changed – you can find your ward online by entering your postcode.

If you are registered to vote, you will receive a polling card in the post. You will then have three choices on how you would like to vote:

• In person – visit your designated polling station between 7am and 10pm on Thursday May 5. The polling station will be written on your polling card.
• By post – apply for a postal vote by 5pm on Tuesday April 19. Your postal vote must be returned before close of polls at 10pm on Thursday May 5. You can also hand your postal vote in at a polling station between 7am and 10pm on the day. If you make a mistake or lose your postal vote, you can get a replacement before 5pm on the day of the election – call 01267 234567 if you need assistance.
• By proxy – ask someone you trust to vote on your behalf if you cannot vote in person either because you are ill, have unexpected work commitments or you are out of the country at the time of the election. Apply for a proxy vote by 5pm on Tuesday 26 April. Emergency applications will be considered on May 5 up until 5pm.