It is now a month until Suffolk’s election results are announced – here’s everything you need to know before they do.
All of Suffolk County Council’s 75 seats, as well as a third of Ipswich Borough Council’s 48 seats, will be up for grabs.
Voting will take place on May 7 and will be administered by the district councils on behalf of the county authority.
This means Ipswich Borough Council will be administering two sets of elections – one for the county and another for itself.
Likewise, in West Suffolk, the county council elections will also be combined with a by-election for a vacant seat for the Abbeygate ward.
The list of candidates for these elections will be published this Friday on the respective councils’ websites.
Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm, with the count taking place the day after, on May 8.
Electors need to be registered to vote and must do so by Monday, April 20.
Those who have previously registered only need to do so again if they have changed their name, address or nationality.
Once registered, voters can cast their ballots in person, by post or by proxy.
The deadlines to apply for a postal or proxy vote are April 21 and 28, respectively, both by 5pm.
Those voting in person will need to show a valid form of photo identification or apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) by 5pm, on April 28.
Valid forms of ID include:
- Passports issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or a British Overseas Territory.
- A driving licence, including provisional, issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state.
- A blue badge.
- An older or disabled person’s bus pass funded by the UK Government.
Information on how to apply to vote in different ways, as well as what counts as a form of ID, can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.
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