Voting is easy – council urges residents to vote

Rochdale Borough Council is reminding residents of the importance of voting on 7 May and how easy it is to do so

With Thursday 7 May approaching there’s less than two weeks to go until voters across the borough elect their councillors and MPs.

Rochdale Borough Council is reassuring residents who may not have voted before that it is a straightforward and easy process.

Everyone who registered will have already been sent a polling card containing details of their polling stations and when they can vote.

Polling stations will be open on Thursday 7 May from 7am until 10pm giving everyone time to take a few minutes to vote. Polling station staff will take names and addresses to check whether people are on the register before voters are given two ballot papers – one for the local election and one for the general election.

Voting booths ensure votes are cast in private. Instructions should be read carefully as votes may not count if ballot papers are filled in incorrectly. Once the choice has been made, the ballot paper is put into a ballot box and all that’s left is to wait for the results!

Postal voters, who will have received their forms by now, should return them promptly. They should always be posted by the owner and not anyone else. Those who are unable to leave their homes to post the votes by themselves, because of health or mobility problems, can call the council on 0300 303 0345 to have them collected.

To help the process run smoothly the council is asking that all postal votes are returned as soon as possible, ideally so they arrive by 6 May. However, they can be delivered in person to Rochdale Town Hall up until 10pm on Thursday 7 May when polls close.

There will be live coverage from the counts on Rochdale Online and the results of the general election will be announced in the early hours of Friday morning:

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/elections/election-summary/25/rochdale-general-election-2015

The local election count will take place during the afternoon on Friday 8 May. Again there will be live coverage of the counts on Rochdale Online with the results expected around 4pm.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/elections/election-summary/23/rochdale-borough-local-election-2015

Returning Officer Steve Rumbelow said: “Local and national government affects so much of people’s lives and it’s really important that we all take the time to vote on 7 May. Whether you are voting in person or by post it’s quick and easy. We should never take democracy for granted - it’s one of the few ways in this country that our voices can be heard, so please use it.”

To find details of the candidates, the locations of polling stations and the results when announced, see:

• Heywood & Middleton - General Election 2015 
• Rochdale - General Election 2015
• Rochdale Borough - Local Election 2015 
• Polling stations