General Election 2024: Everything you need to know about voting in Rochdale borough

Polling stations will open at 7am Thursday morning (4 July) for residents to place their votes for their next local MP, as well as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Polls will close at 10pm and the local counts will be held overnight with the result to be announced in the early hours of Friday morning (5 July).

All results will be available on Rochdale Online first thing Friday morning.

Important changes to Rochdale borough’s constituencies:

Constituency borders have changed since the by-election in February, meaning that the Rochdale borough is now covered by three parliamentary constituencies instead of two.

Two wards in Middleton - East Middleton and South Middleton - are now part of the Blackley & Middleton South constituency.

Spotland & Falinge ward is no longer a part of the Rochdale constituency and has moved into the renamed Heywood & Middleton North constituency which already included Castleton, Norden and Bamford wards.

This will see the Crown Oil Arena, home of Rochdale AFC and Rochdale Hornets along with Oulder Hill and Falinge Park secondary schools being moved to the new Heywood & Middleton North constituency.

The changes mean that there would be nine council ward areas in the Rochdale constituency and nine in the new Heywood constituency compared with ten in each of the current constituencies.

Candidates for the Rochdale constituency:

• Paul Ellison (Conservative)
• George Galloway (Workers Party)
• Michael Howard (Reform)
• Andy Kelly (Liberal Democrats)
• Martyn Savin (Green)
• Paul Waugh (Labour)

Candidates for Heywood & Middleton North constituency:

• Elsie Blundell (Labour)
• Chris Furlong (independent)
• Steve Potter (Reform UK)
• Tom Shaw (Liberal Democrats)
• Laura-Beth Thompson (Conservative)

Candidates for the Blackley & Middleton South constituency:

• Iftikhar Ahmed (Conservative and Unionist Party)
• Alison Devine (Reform UK)
• Iain Donaldson (Liberal Democrats)
• Dylan Lewis-Creser (Green Party)
• Graham Stringer (Labour)

 

 

Voting on the day: Important information

If you are planning to vote at a polling station, you will need to show photographic ID. You can use expired ID if you are still recognisable from the photo, but if you turn up without photo ID, you will not be able to vote.

The following forms of photo ID will be accepted at polling stations:

Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)

Photographic driver’s licence (including provisional), issued by the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)

• National identity card issued by an EEA state
• UK Biometric Residence Permit
• An identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (PASS card)
• Blue Badge
• Concessionary travel pass funded by HM Government or local authority, such as an older person's bus pass or a disabled person's bus pass
• Defence identity card

Get the full list of accepted ID at electoralcommission.org.uk/VoterID

Everyone registered to vote has been sent a polling card containing details of their local polling station and when they can vote.

Staff will take names and addresses to check whether people are on the register and check photo ID before voters are given a ballot paper. Voting booths ensure votes are cast in private. Staff will be on hand at the polling stations to assist if you need any help.

Anyone who has a medical emergency or suddenly cannot go to the polling station due to work commitments has up to 5pm on polling day to apply for an emergency proxy vote. This allows them to nominate someone they trust to vote on their behalf.

Postal votes can be delivered in person to Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale, or your polling station up until 10pm on Thursday 4 July when polls close.

You can find your local polling station using this interactive polling station finder.