You are here: Home: Council and democracy: Democracy and elections: Voting

Voting

Election day process

Your poll card

You don't have to take your poll card to the polling station, although it will help the polling station staff to quickly find your name on the register. However, even if you take your poll card to the polling station, the law requires the polling station staff to ask you to confirm your name and address.

Your electoral number

Staff in the polling station write down your electoral number before you can vote.

The law requires every ballot paper to have a unique serial number.

The law also requires that a record is kept of the serial number of the ballot paper that is issued to every elector. That is why the staff in the polling station record the serial number of the ballot paper against the electoral number.

At the close of the poll, the documents which list the serial numbers of the ballot papers and the list of to whom they have been issued are sealed in special packets and cannot be opened unless a court order to do so is obtained.

The reason this is done is to enable checks to be made should a legal challenge be made to the result of the election. It is possible in UK law for the result of an election to be challenged through what is known as an election petition. It is possible for the eligibility of a single, or number of , electors' right to vote to be challenged in the courts after an election. If the challenge is successful the court can order that the ballot papers of the electors who were not eligible to vote be retrieved and their votes discounted and the result of the election changed to reflect the removal of these votes from the total.

This is a very unusual occurrence and there are legal processes in place to protect the identity of electors and how they have voted from being discovered except in circumstances when a court orders that it should be done. There is only a very short period in which a challenge can be made - 21 days from the date of the election and if no challenge is made in that period all documents are subsequently destroyed.

The election candidates

Lists of candidates are published on the website prior to an election. See .

Making a mistake on your ballot paper

If you spoil your ballot paper in the polling station you can ask the Presiding Officer to issue you with another one provided you have not put the first ballot paper you were given in the ballot box. You must hand the spoilt ballot paper intact to the Presiding Officer before you will be given another one. If you have already put your ballot paper into the ballot box you cannot be given another one.

Unable to get to the polling station on Election Day

If you are unable to get to a polling station on Election Day, you can contact us for an application form to apply for an Absent Vote.

There are 2 types:

• Postal Vote - where your ballot paper is sent to you at the address you request.
  The Electoral Registration Officer must receive completed applications no later than 5.00 pm 11 working days before an election.
• Proxy Vote - where you nominate someone to go to the polling station and vote on your behalf.
  For more information and an application form e-mail: electoral-services@calderdale.gov.uk or contact the elections helpline on 01422 393103.

Location of polling stations

Your poll card will show a map detailing the location of your polling station. If you don't receive your poll card, you can call the elections helpline on 01422 393103.

Addresses of polling stations can also be found online. Just enter your Calderdale postcode:

Tendered ballot

A tendered ballot is a ballot provided to a voter who is recorded as having voted, but doesn't think this is true.

This ballot, once completed, is not put into the ballot box, but is given to the Presiding Officer and placed in a separate packet.

back to top