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Electoral Services - Table of Contents

The next scheduled elections taking place in Fareham will be both the local and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections, which are due to take place on Thursday 2 May 2024.

 

Fareham Borough Council local elections - Thursday 2 May 2024

Voter ID

Annual canvass

Casual vacancies

Contact us

Elected members (Local Councillors and MPs)

Election results

Elections employment opportunities

Electoral registration and voting

Local Government Boundary Review

Open Register

Other useful contacts

Privacy

Register to vote External Hyperlink

Standing for election

Wards and boundaries
 


Fareham Borough Council Local Elections - Thursday 2 May 2024

On Thursday 2 May 2024, Fareham Borough Council local elections and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner elections will be taking place.

Further information can be found by clicking the links below:

Information for voters

Information for candidates

 


Information for Voters

On Thursday 2 May 2024, Fareham Borough Council local elections and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner elections will be taking place.

Register to Vote

The deadline to register to vote for the elections on Thursday 2 May elections is Tuesday 16 April.

To register to vote online, you need just five minutes and your National Insurance Number.  If you can't reigster online, you can download a paper form External Hyperlink.

You don't need to register to vote before every election.

Updating your details

If you move house, you should register again.

If you change your name, you can either:

Further information on electoral registration and voting can be found here.

Ways to Vote

Voting in Person at a Polling Station

When you vote in person, you go to the polling station allocated to you based on your address on the electoral register.

Before you go to vote, check where your polling station is. It might not be the closest one to where you live, and it might have changed since the last time you voted. This is particularly important at these elections, as following recent boundary changes, several polling stations have changed. Please note that the name of the ward you live in may also have changed. You have to go to your allocated polling station and you can't go to a different one close to where you work, for example.

Your polling station will be on your poll card, which you will receive through the post a few weeks before polling day.  Please read this carefully.

Polling Stations are open from 7am to 10pm on polling day. They can get busy, particularly towards the end of the day. If there is a queue at your polling station, you will still be able to vote as long as you joined the queue before 10pm.

Please note that you must show an accepted form of photographic identification before being issued with your ballot paper(s).  Further information can be found below .  Further information on the type of photo id accepted can be found here

 

Voting by Post

If you know that you won't be able to get to the polling station on polling day, you can vote by post.

You can apply for a postal vote if you're away on holiday or because your work schedule means you can't get to the polling station. You can also choose to vote by post simply because it would be more convenient for you.

Once your postal vote is set up and the ballot papers are ready, a postal vote ballot pack will be sent directly to your home, along with a pre-paid return envelope for you to send back before election day.

The quickest and preferred way to apply to vote by post is online - apply for a postal vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) External Hyperlink

Alternatively, please contact the Elections team on 01329 824588 or email elections@fareham.gov.uk to request a paper application form.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote for the Thursday 2 May elections is 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024.

 

Voting by Proxy

If after Wednesday 17 April, you find that you won't be able to get to the polling station on polling day and you have missed the deadline to apply for a postal vote, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. This is called a proxy vote and the person casting your vote is often referred to as your proxy.

The quickest and preferred way to apply to vote by proxy is online - apply for a proxy vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) External Hyperlink

Alternatively, please contact the Elections team on 01329 824588 or email elections@fareham.gov.uk to request a paper application form.

When completing your application, you need to give a reason why you can't get to your polling station in person. This may be because you're going to be away on holiday, away with work, or are unable to get to your polling station due to a disability.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the Thursday 2 May elections is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

 

Emergency Proxy Vote

In certain circumstances, where you have an emergency that means you can't vote in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy. This must be something that you weren't aware of before the normal proxy vote deadline.

Further information and how to apply for an emergency proxy vote can be found here Emergency proxy vote | Electoral Commission External Hyperlink.

 


Information for Candidates

Timetable of events can be found here:

Fareham Borough Council Elections - Timetable of Proceedings for Thursday 2 May 2024
Event Date
Publication of Notice of Election Tuesday 26 March 2024
Receipt of Nominations 4:00 pm Friday 5 April 2024
Withdrawal of Candidate 4:00 pm Friday 5 April 2024
Appointment of Election Agents 4:00 pm Friday 5 April 2024
Publication of Notice of Election Agents 4:00 pm Friday 5 April 2024
Publication of Statement of Persons Nominated 4:00 pm Monday 8 April 2024
Last Date for Registration Tuesday 16 April 2024
Receipt of Postal Vote Applications 5:00 pm Wednesday 17 April 2024
Last day for Voter Authority Certificates 5:00 pm Wednesday 24 April 2024
Publication of Notice of Poll Wednesday 24 April 2024
Receipt of Proxy Vote Applications 5:00 pm Wednesday 24 April 2024
Appointment of Poll and Count Agents Thursday 25 April 2024
First Day to Issue Replacement Lost Postal Ballot Papers Friday 26 April 2024
Last Day to issue Replacement Spoilt or Lost Postal Ballot Papers 5:00 pm Thursday 2 May 2024
Receipt of Emergency Proxy Vote Applications 5:00 pm Thursday 2 May 2024
Day of Poll 07:00. am to 10:00 pm Thursday 2 May 2024
Verification and Count From 10:00 pm Thursday 2 May 2024 at Fareham Leisure Centre, Park Lane, Fareham, PO16 7JU*
Return of Election Expenses Thursday 6 June 2024

*In the event of a UK Parliamentary General Election being called for the 2 May, dates and timings of the Fareham Borough Council local election count will change and candidates and agents advised accordingly.

Candidate Guidance

The Electoral Commission provides guidance External Hyperlink for anyone who wants to stand as a candidate or agent at a local government election in England.

Candidates and their agents must follow certain rules set out in legislation. The following guidance from the Electoral Commission sets out the stages that you need to go through when standing at a local government election and should help with any questions you may have:

 

Candidate and agent briefing

This candidate and agent briefing presentation PDF (288 KB) gives a clear overview of the election process.  This covers information on various topics including a 'who's who',  the nomination process, registering to vote, campaigning dos and don'ts, the verification and count and Spending Returns.

Nomination Papers

The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has produced a guide for Returning Officers and their deputies to assist with the checking of nomination papers. This guide covers points that commonly cause confusion or difficulty, which staff can refer to when checking that a nomination paper is completed correctly. We thought it would be useful for candidates and agents to have access to this document, to assist with the correct completion of your papers:

Annotated Nomination Papers - A guide to correct completion of papers PDF (627 KB)

A set of nomination papers for printing and completion can be found here PDF (305 KB).  In addition, a paper nomination pack can be collected from the Civic Offices.  If you would like to collect a pack, please contact the Elections team at elections@fareham.gov.uk or by calling 01329 824588, ensuring you provide us with the ward name you will be standing in as well as the date and time you would like to collect your pack.  Please note nomination packs can be collected during office hours Monday-Thursday 8.45am-5.15pm, Friday 8.45-4.45pm.

We are, once again, offering an informal `soft-check' service whereby a member of the Elections team can check through your papers before you officially submit them. This service is being offered remotely via email and we would strongly urge you to take advantage of this service, so that any errors on your paperwork can be rectified prior to the formal submission. All you need to do is email a scanned copy of your completed forms to arickman@fareham.gov.uk. We will then check through your forms and respond to confirm whether they meet with the requirements or whether any amendments are required.

Please be aware that you will need a copy of the register for the ward in which you are standing to be able to complete your proposer and seconder electoral numbers.  We are unable to provide candidates with the register until the publication of the Notice of Election.

The Notice of Election will be published on Tuesday 26 March, so nomination forms cannot be submitted until then. The soft checks can, however, be carried out before this date and will commence from Monday 11 March.

To formally submit your completed nomination forms from Tuesday 26 March, please note the following:

 

Election Notices

Election Notices will be published below when available.

 


Voter Identification

The next scheduled elections in Fareham are due to take place on Thursday 2 May 2024. 

From May 2023, voters who wish to vote in person will be required to show an accepted form of photographic identification at a polling station before being issued with a ballot paper. Please note that you will not be required to provide photographic identification for postal voting.

The requirement to show voter id applies at local council elections, police and crime commissioner elections and parliamentary by-elections. From 5 October 2023, voters will need to show photo id at UK Parliamentary General Elections.

Which forms of ID are acceptable?

Expired photographic identification document can still be used as accepted photo id at the polling station, as long as the photograph is still a good likeness to you.

If you are a registered elector and you do not have one of the above accepted forms of photo id, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. This is a free A4 sized paper document containing an elector's name and photograph which can be used for electoral identification purposes only.

Why aren't other forms of photo ID accepted?

The law specifies the types of documents that are accepted forms of ID. These have been decided by the UK Government.

How do I apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, as I do not have any of the accepted forms of photo ID?

Electors without suitable photographic identification can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate in person, by post or online. The quickest and easiest way to apply is online via the gov.uk website External Hyperlink. If you would prefer to apply in person, please contact the Elections team on 01329 824588 where an appointment can be made at the Civic Offices. If applying in person, there is no need for you to supply a photograph as we will take a photograph for your certificate, however you will need to ensure that you bring your National Insurance Number with you.

A Voter Authority Certificate is a free paper-based A4 document, which will show the voter's full name and photograph, the issuing local council, a reference number, the date of issue and a recommended renewal date.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for the Thursday 2 May elections is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

How does this impact voting by post or proxy?

Voters do not need to show photo ID in order to apply to vote by post or proxy. The proxy will, however, need to show their own photo ID at the polling station.

Additional information on Voter ID can be found on the Electoral Commission's website External Hyperlink.

 


Annual Canvass

All households in Fareham are sent correspondence every summer to check the electoral register is correct for that address. We have to send this each year by law and there is usually a legal requirement to respond. Details of what to do and how to respond are on your form. The easiest and quickest way to respond is online at www.householdresponse.com External Hyperlink (you will need to enter the security codes from your form).

If a household does not respond when required, an authorised electoral canvasser will visit the property to confirm details (even if they remain unchanged). This process is also required by law.

Prior to the canvass documentation being produced, we carry out a data match exercise with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The purpose of this exercise is to help us to identify properties where residents may have changed.  This information is then used to determine the route we will use to canvass each property:

Route 1 is the matched property route - this is where we are satisfied that there are no changes needed at the property and we have no reason to believe that there are any additional electors to be added.  Properties that are allocated to this route will receive a Canvass Communication A letter (A4 letter), listing those registered to vote at the property. If you have received this letter, you only need to respond if there are any changes. If you do need to make any changes, please follow the instructions on the letter.

Route 2 is the unmatched property route - this is where we have been unable to match the electors 100%. Properties that are allocated to this route will receive a Canvass Form (A3 form), listing those registered to vote at the property.  If you have received this form, you must respond even if there are no changes. To respond, please follow the instructions on the form.

Canvass letters and forms are being posted at the end of July. If you need to respond to either make us aware of any changes (route 1 and route 2) or to confirm there are no changes (route 2) please do so as soon as possible.

With effect from Friday 22 September, our team of canvassers will start to visit route 2 properties who have not yet responded to their canvass form. All canvassers will be wearing official identification which will be shown when introducing themselves. They will also be equipped with a tablet allowing them to quickly and securely confirm or amend householder details in just a few minutes. If the canvasser misses you when they visit, wherever possible they will leave a calling card which gives detailed instructions on how to respond (online, by post, by email or by telephoning the elections team on 01329 824588).


Casual Vacancies

If a councillor leaves their seat during the course of their term, a casual vacancy occurs. This could be due to: the resignation of a councillor; the death of a councillor; the disqualification (or ceasing to be qualified) of a councillor; a failure to take up office.

There are not currently any casual vacancies.

 


Contact Details

elections@fareham.gov.uk

Tel: 01329 824588

Election Services, Fareham Borough Council, Civic Offices, Civic Way, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 7AZ

Monday to Thursday 8.45am-5.15pm

Friday 8.45am-4.45pm

 


Elected members (local councillors, county councillors and members of parliament)

 


Election Results

 


Elections employment opportunities

The Returning Officer for Fareham needs people to carry out various duties at election time which is nearly always the first Thursday in May. This may involve working at a polling station which is open from 7am to 10pm, opening postal votes or counting ballot papers.  

 

Job Descriptions

If you are at least 18 years old and interested in working for us at election time please complete an Application Form for Election Duties

 


Electoral registration and voting

It is important that you know if you are eligible to vote and if you are to make sure you are registered to vote at your address. If you have moved house you need to Register to Vote External Hyperlink, even if you pay Council Tax at your new property, because nobody is automatically registered to vote. Registering is easy - you can register online or you can call the elections office for a paper form to be posted to you. You will need your national insurance number, date of birth and address. Please follow the links below to find out more:

(all application forms can be scanned and e-mailed to us or posted)

The electoral register is updated every month and these updates are also sent to credit reference agencies once a month. There are cut-off dates listed below so you can see the deadlines that apply to each monthly update. Most applications go through without needing evidence of identity (this is done via your national insurance number and date of birth) but sometimes ID is needed and you will be notified in writing if this applies to you.

Once your application has been accepted and no-one has objected to your application you will appear on the electoral register on the next publication date. You will be notified in writing when this happens. Please note that in the run up to an election, you will only be able to vote in that election if your name has been added to the register at least 12 working days before the election. The monthly register publication dates are:

To appear on this month's register (publication date): You must have applied to register to vote by this date (conditions apply):
Friday 1 December 2023 Wednesday 22 November 2023
Tuesday 2 January 2024 Monday 11 December 2023
Thursday 1 February 2024 Wednesday 10 January 2024
Friday 1 March 2024 Thursday 8 February 2024
Tuesday 2 April 2024 Monday 11 March 2024
Friday 5 April 2024 Monday 25 March 2024
Thursday 25 April 2024 Tuesday 16 April 2024
Monday 3 June 2024 Friday 10 May 2024
Monday 1 July 2024 Friday 7 June 2024
Thursday 1 August 2024 Wednesday 10 July 2024
Monday 2 September 2024 Friday 9 August 2024
Tuesday 1 October 2024 Monday 9 September 2024
Friday 1 November 2024 Thursday 10 October 2024
Sunday 1 December 2024 Thursday 21 November 2024
Thursday 2 January 2025 Wednesday 11 December 2024

Electoral register

There are two versions of the register - the full register and the open register. The full register is strictly controlled and can only be used for elections, detecting crime such as fraud, calling people for jury service and credit referencing. The open register is optional so you can choose not to be on it. The open register can be sold on to third parties such as businesses and charities. If you chose not to be on the open register your right to vote will not be affected. To check if you are on the open register or to opt-out please contact the elections office. You will need to opt-out again if you ever need to re-register such as when you move home.


 


Open Register


The Open Register is the version of the electoral register that can be sold on to third parties (such as marketing companies). It only contains names and addresses (telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are never included). Most voters are automatically included in the open register unless you have opted out. Opting out of the open register does not affect your right to vote or credit score. To check your current status or to opt out simply call the Elections team on 01329 824588 or e-mail elections@fareham.gov.uk and we will be happy to help.

Please be aware that political parties and election candidates still have access to your name and address, and whether you have a postal vote, even if you have opted out of the open register. This is legal entitlement and not something you can opt out of. Parties and candidates are restricted by law to only use your details for election purposes (e.g. campaigning) and cannot pass your details on to a third party.
 


Other useful contacts


Privacy Notice

Electoral Services will only use your information for electoral purposes and it will be kept secure in accordance with data protection legislation. The lawful basis to collect your information is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and exercise of official authority as vested in the Electoral Registration Officer as set out in the Representation of the People Act 1983 and associated regulations. The Electoral Registration Officer is the Data Controller: Andrew Wannell, Civic Offices, Fareham, Hants, PO16 7AZ, tel 01329 236100. Please see the Fareham Borough Council Privacy Notice for further information relating to the processing of personal data.
 


Register to vote

Click here to register to vote External Hyperlink. You will need your date of birth and national insurance number and it only takes around 3 minutes. To verify your identity, the data you provide will be processed by the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service managed by the Cabinet Office. As part of this process your data will be shared with the Department of Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office suppliers that are data processors for the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service. You can find more information about this here External Hyperlink.

 


Standing for election

Candidate Guidance

If you are interested in standing for election, you can find all the important guidance and paperwork you will need at www.electoralcommission.org.uk External Hyperlink.  

Please note that there are no scheduled elections taking place in Fareham until May 2024.

 


Wards and Ward Boundaries


 

 

 




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Tel: +44 (0) 1329 236100 | Mobile Text/Photo: 07860 098627
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