Voters urged to apply for postal ballots

Voters should begin registering for postal ballots to ensure they can take part in next year’s elections, North East leaders have said.

Local authorities, including Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council, were due to head to the polls in May, but saw planned contests cancelled due to the first national coronavirus lockdown.

And despite hopes a vaccine maybe ready in time for rescheduled elections in 2021, the prospect of the UK living with some form of restrictions for some time have prompted regional chiefs to urge households to start planning now.

“One thing we will have an interest in is next year’s council elections and we should be encouraging as many residents as possible to register for a postal vote,” said Iain Malcolm, leader of South Tyneside Council.

“That will help reduce the risk of transmission and the risk of people being disenfranchised as a result of the pandemic.”

Cllr Malcolm was speaking at a meeting of the combined authority’s Leadership Board, of which he is also the chairman.

As well as rescheduled local authority elections in Sunderland and South Tyneside in 2019, a planned poll for Durham County Council is due to go ahead, as well as contests for the Police and Crime Commissioners for Durham and Northumbria and a new Tees Valley Mayor.

Applications for postal votes can be downloaded from the Electoral Commission website and should then be returned to your relevant local authority.