​​​​​​​Make sure you know how to have your say on 8 June

ballot box

Issued on behalf of the Returning Officer

Voters are being reminded to make sure they are ready to take part in the UK Parliamentary general election taking place on Thursday 8 June.

Returning Officer for the three Highland constituencies, Steve Barron, CEX of The Highland Council said: “With just over two weeks to go until polling day I want to make sure that everyone knows how they can cast their vote on Thursday 8 June.

“On the day of the election Highland polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm. Voters should mark their ballot paper with one cross in the box next to their preferred candidate. Detailed information on how to complete your ballot paper will be available at every polling station and trained polling staff will be on hand to answer any questions.”

Make sure you vote in time

  • Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 8 June. You had to have applied to register to vote by midnight on 22 May in order to be able to vote.  
  • Your poll card will have been sent to the address where you are registered. It will say where your polling station is. You can only vote at the polling station that is stated on your own poll card. 
  • You can take your poll card with you to show the polling station staff when you arrive. They will still ask for you to confirm your name and address. If you don’t have it with you then you can just tell the polling station staff your name and your address and they can check whether you’re on the electoral register.  
     
  • Plan what time you will be able to cast your vote at the polling station, leaving plenty of time before the 10pm deadline.
     
  • If you are in a queue at your polling station at 10pm you will still be able to vote.
     
  • If you arrive at the polling station after 10pm then the poll will be closed and you will have missed your chance to take part.

Voting by post or by proxy:
In this election you can opt to vote in person, by proxy or by post. The deadline to apply for a new postal vote or a postal proxy application or to change an existing postal or proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 23 May. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote to appoint someone to vote on your behalf at a polling station is 5pm on Wednesday 31 May. Application forms can be downloaded from  yourvotematters.co.uk or highland.gov.uk/hwi-vjb. Anyone who would like more information on voting by post or by proxy can get in touch with the Electoral Registration Officer, Moray House, 16-18 Bank Street, Inverness  IV1 1QY Telephone: 0800 393783 Email: ero@highland.gov.uk

Postal voting

  • If you have a postal vote, make sure it is returned by 10pm on Thursday 8 June.
  • If you have not had time to post it before polling day, then you can take your postal vote to any polling station on polling day and hand it in.
  • Postal votes that arrive after 10pm on June 8 will not be counted.

Proxy voting

  • If you’ve appointed a proxy, then they need to make sure they are able to vote at the correct polling station on your behalf.
  • If it turns out that you are able to go to the polling station on election day, you can vote in person as long as your proxy has not already done so and has not applied to vote for you by post.
  • If you are suddenly unable to vote in person because you have a medical emergency which prevents you from attending on polling day, or your occupation, service or employment means that you cannot go to the polling station in person, and you only become aware of that fact after the deadline, then you may be entitled to appoint an emergency proxy.
  • You can apply for an emergency proxy up until 5pm on polling day. You should contact the Highland electoral registration office directly to ask about this. Telephone 0800 393783 or Email: ero@highland.gov.uk

How to fill out your ballot paper

  • The staff at the polling station will give you a ballot paper listing the candidates you can vote for.
     
  • If you are disabled, you can ask the Presiding Officer for help and they can mark the ballot paper for you. You can also ask someone else to help you (e.g. a support worker, as long as they are either a relative or an eligible elector).
     
  • Take your ballot paper into a polling booth so that no one can see how you vote. Read the ballot paper carefully - it will tell you how to cast your vote. Do not write anything else on the paper or your vote may not be counted.
     
  • Mark your ballot paper according to the instructions.  A pencil will be provided for you to do this, but you may use your own pen if you prefer.
     
  • If you make a mistake on your ballot paper, don’t worry, So long as you haven’t already put it in the ballot box, just let the polling station staff know and they can issue you with a replacement ballot paper.

Polling Day:
Voting will take place on Thursday 8 June with polling stations across the Highlands open from 7am to 10pm. The votes will be counted overnight at the Highland Football Academy in Dingwall. You will be able to follow the announcement of each of the constituency results from the Highland Council’s twitter feed - @HighlandCouncil


The candidates for the 3 Highland constituencies are as follows:

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

  • Olivia Bell - Scottish Labour Party
  • Struan Mackie - Scottish Conservative and Unionist
  • Paul Monaghan -  Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Jamie Stone - Scottish Liberal Democrats

Ross, Skye and Lochaber

  • Ian Blackford - Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Ronnie the Crofter, Campbell - Independent
  • Jean Davis - Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Robert Mackenzie - Scottish Conservative and Unionist
  • Peter Ó Donnghaile - Scottish Labour Party
  • Stick Sturrock - Something New

Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey

  • Donald MacLeod Boyd - Scottish Christian Party “Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship”
  • Ritchie Cunningham - Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Drew Hendry - Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Mike Robb - Scottish Labour Party
  • Nicholas Tulloch - Scottish Conservative and Unionist

An election helpline has been set up by the Returning Officer to assist with any queries you may have about taking part in the UK General Election .  The number is 01349 886657.

Information can also be found by visiting www.highland.gov.uk/elections

 

23 May 2017