With a week before polls open in the first ever West of England Combined Authority Mayoral Election, registered voters in Bath and North East Somerset are being reminded to have their say on Thursday 4th May.
Over 680,000 registered voters across the region will have the chance to choose their candidate to become the first Mayor of the West of England via postal votes or at polling stations when they open at 7am on 4th May.
The West of England devolution deal, worth £1 billion, brings powers and money from national Government with the ability to make local decisions about spatial planning for the region (including where new homes are planned and where investment in new services is needed to support their development), adult education and skills, employment and regional transport.
Maria Lucas, Local Returning Officer for Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “The 4th May election will give residents in Bath and North East Somerset the chance to make their choice on who will become the first West of England Combined Authority Mayor. I urge all eligible registered voters in the region to exercise their democratic right to vote and cast their ballot on 4th May.”
A booklet has been produced with useful information about the West of England Combined Authority, the mayoral election and the supplementary voting system, and statements from the candidates standing in this election. All registered voters have been sent a paper copy of this booklet as required by law*. An online version can be found at www.wevote.org.uk.
Polling stations will open at 7am on Thursday 4th May and close at 10pm. Voters are urged to check their poll cards for the address of their polling station and allow time to cast their vote.
British citizens, Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta who are registered to vote in the West of England Combined Authority Mayoral Election are also registered to vote in the UK Parliamentary General Election on 8th June. Residents who are not already registered to vote should visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to register online. The deadline to register to vote in the UK Parliamentary General Election on 8th June is midnight on 22nd May. It is now too late to register to vote in the West of England Mayoral election.
* One booklet must be distributed to each person entitled to vote at the election. This booklet has been produced in accordance with The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017.
For information:
Supplementary Voting System
This election will use the supplementary voting system. Voters will have two votes – one for their first choice candidate and another for their second choice candidate. The ballot paper will list all of the candidates in alphabetical order with two columns next to the names. To select their first choice candidate, voters will mark an “x” in the first column and, should they wish to, an “x” in the second column next to the name of their second choice candidate.
The first choices are then counted and if one candidate has 50 percent of the vote or more, they are declared the winner. If no one candidate has 50 percent of the vote or more, the two candidates with the most first choice votes will remain in the election and the others will be eliminated. The ballot papers for the eliminated candidates are then checked and any second choice votes for the remaining two candidates are added to their first round totals. The candidate with the most overall votes wins.
