Postal voters – make your vote count

Countdown to European and County elections

(Date of issue: Monday, 1 June 2009)

Residents who have arranged to have a postal vote in the forthcoming European Parliamentary Elections are being reminded to make sure they send it in time.

Postal votes must reach the local returning officer for each area by Thursday, 4 June in order to count.

The total electorate for the European Parliamentary Elections in the North West has been confirmed as more than five million.

Some 5,206,809 registered voters in 39 local authorities across the region – which consists of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside – will have the opportunity to cast votes to select the region’s eight Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm across the region on Thursday 4 June. Counting will take place on Sunday 7 June and results will be announced on the evening of that day or the early hours of Monday 8 June depending on how long the process takes.

Voting takes place using a proportional representation system which allocates seats in the European Parliament to parties and independents in approximate proportion to the number of votes cast.

Unlike in Local or General Elections, electors are casting their vote for a party rather than an individual candidate (except in the case of independents). Each party puts forward a list of up to eight prospective MEPs in the order it wants them to be elected. So, for instance, if a party wins one seat the first person on its list will be elected; if it wins two seats the first two candidates on its list will be elected and so on.

For more information about the European Parliamentary Elections including a list of candidates and details of how the voting system works visit www.northwestvotes.gov.uk