Five weeks to go until the General Election

With just five weeks to go before the UK General Election, voters and potential candidates in Orkney and Shetland are reminded of key dates and significant changes to the voting process this year.

For the purposes of UK Parliamentary Elections, Orkney and Shetland form one constituency returning 1 MP after the vote.

Polling stations will be open across both local authority areas from 7:00am to 10:00pm on July 4 – with the counting of those votes then taking place at Kirkwall Grammar School overnight, with a result expected on the morning of July 5.

Voters should ensure that they are on the electoral register by midnight on Tuesday 18 June.

Changes have been made to the voter eligibility criteria for overseas voters. British and eligible Irish citizens living overseas can now register to vote in UK Parliamentary general elections no matter how long ago they left or were last registered to vote in the UK.

In addition, to vote in person at a polling station, voters are now required to show valid photographic ID. The full list of acceptable voter ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website, at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID and includes:

• passport
• driving licence
• Saltire card
• Young Scot card

If voters do not have any approved photographic ID, they can apply to their local Electoral Registration Office for a Voter Authority Certificate.

Key dates coming up are:

• The deadline for the receipt of nomination papers for candidates in the election is 4:00pm on Friday 7 June. The list of candidates in the election will be published shortly after.
• The deadline for ensuring you are registered to vote is midnight on Tuesday 18 June .
• The deadline for new postal and postal proxy applications – or for making changes to existing postal and proxy applications - is 5.00pm on Wednesday 19 June.
• The deadline for receiving new applications to vote by proxy – where someone votes on your behalf – is 5:00pm on Wednesday 26 June.
• The deadline for applying for a Voter Authority Certificate is also 5:00pm on Wednesday 26 June.
• It is anticipated that polling letters - instead of a card - will be received by voters from 13 June onwards, with the first issue of postal voting packs expected to be delivered Friday 21 June.
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Oliver Reid, Chief Executive of Orkney Islands Council, is the Returning Officer for the Orkney and Shetland Constituency. He said: “It’s a short amount of time between the election being called and polling day on July 4. The election team across Orkney and Shetland is working hard to put all the arrangements in place and ensure that voters – whether they choose to vote in person or by post – can exercise their right to do so.

“There are significant changes to some of the processes this year, not least the requirement for all those voting in person to provide photographic ID or a Voter Authority Certificate.

“With the election taking place in the summer – it will be the school summer holidays – we are mindful that some voters may be out of the county on the day and I would encourage them to apply for a postal or proxy vote so that they don’t lose out on their right to take part in this important democratic process.”

To apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, go to www.voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/ or contact your local Electoral Registration Office for a paper copy.

Registration queries, overseas voters queries, postal and proxy applications, and Voter ID applications should be directed to the Electoral Registration Office in Orkney at 8 Broad Street, Kirkwall. Tel: 01856 876222, email ero@orkney.gov.uk or to the Electoral Registration Office in Shetland at 20 Commercial Road, Lerwick, ZE1 0LX Tel: 01595 745700, email ero@shetland.gov.uk.

Ends