On the build-up to the May elections, Carlisle City Council’s Electoral Services team is advising voters of some changes to their ballot paper.

Voters will notice that the ballot paper they receive for the Carlisle City Council elections on Thursday 2 May will be longer and will contain more names than in recent years.

Voters can select up to three candidates from any of the candidates in the list.

The three candidates that receive the most votes will be elected to represent the ward.

If voters choose more than three candidates on their ballot paper, their vote will be ‘spoilt’ and will not be counted.

Voters are advised to read your ballot paper carefully and follow the instructions.

Following a boundary review, all current Carlisle City Council wards will change at this May’s election. The Boundary Commission’s final recommendation was that Carlisle should be represented by 39 city councillors in the future: thirteen fewer than the current arrangement. The recommendations also proposed that those councillors should represent 13 three-councillor wards.

Voters will be voting at the same time as everyone else in the district, as all 39 seats are up for election.

Elections will be held in the following 13 wards on Thursday 2 May: Belah & Kingmoor; Botcherby & Harraby North; Brampton & Fellside; Cathedral & Castle; Currock & Upperby; Dalston & Burgh; Denton Holme & Morton South; Harraby South & Parklands; Longtown & the Border; Newtown & Morton North; Sandsfield & Morton West; Stanwix & Houghton; and Wetheral & Corby.

Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm on Thursday, 2 May.

The count will take place during the day on Friday, 3 May and results will be posted on www.carlisle.gov.uk/elections

• The official Notice of Election for the City Council elections was published on Friday, 15 March 2019. Candidates have until 4pm on Wednesday 3 April 2019 to submit their nominations.
• The deadline to register to vote in time for the election was midnight on Friday 12 April 2019.
• The deadline for new postal vote applications or changes to existing postal applications is 5pm on Monday 15 April 2019.
• The deadline for new proxy applications is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2019.