Elections 2022: What cannot I do in a polling station?

Hundreds of thousands of individuals will head to the polls on Thursday to vote in elections throughout the UK.

Native elections are happening in England, Scotland and Wales, whereas in Northern Eire persons are voting for members of the Northern Eire Meeting. There’ll even be plenty of mayoral seats up for grabs in England.

What are the dos and don’ts when casting your vote?

Should you’ve acquired a vote you must have acquired a polling card within the submit.

This has your polling quantity and the deal with for the place you forged your vote – your polling station.

To vote, it’s important to flip up on the polling station between 07:00 and 22:00 BST on 5 Could.

You do not have to deliver your polling card if you vote, however it could pace the method up.

In case your card hasn’t turned up and you do not know the place your polling station is, contact your native authority’s election workplace. Bear in mind, it’s essential to vote at your designated polling station. You may’t go to a special one among your selecting, for instance close to the place you’re employed.

Native authorities and the Electoral Workplace in Northern Eire might be following the newest public well being steerage of their space to verify polling stations are secure locations to vote on 5 Could.

These voting in particular person might even see some public well being measures in place at polling stations, much like these in place in different indoor venues.

The deadline has now handed to use for a postal vote, or a proxy vote. A proxy vote means another person goes to the polling station in your behalf.

Nevertheless, you possibly can nonetheless apply for an emergency proxy vote if for the reason that deadline one of many following has occurred:

You can also make the applying any time as much as 17:00 BST on polling day itself by contacting your native council.

The presiding officer can mark the paper for you, or a detailed grownup member of the family or one other eligible voter, corresponding to a assist employee, can accompany you.

Folks with a visible impairment can request a tool that lets them mark their very own poll paper. A big-print model also needs to be accessible.

Polling stations are chosen for accessibility. But when a voter can not enter, the presiding officer might take the poll paper to them.

The Electoral Fee – which oversees UK elections – advises towards this as a result of it dangers unintentionally gifting away how another person (the particular person within the sales space subsequent to you, for instance) voted, which is unlawful.

However persons are welcome to share photographs taken exterior a polling station “to encourage your family and friends to vote”.

Sure – however photographing the poll paper is just not allowed and the punishment for revealing how anybody else voted, even unintentionally, is a high-quality of as much as £5,000 – or six months in jail.

So voters are suggested to not replace their social media accounts contained in the polling station.

Some folks intentionally spoil their vote – for instance, by writing a message on the poll paper as a protest.

These are recorded however don’t depend for or towards any candidate.

Animals, other than help canine, should not often allowed in polling stations.

All kinds of canine, nevertheless, are often noticed exterior polling stations – usually subsequent to a camera-wielding human snapping a photograph for his or her socials.

The Electoral Fee says there’s nothing in legislation to forestall folks carrying a slogan going right into a polling station, with the intention of voting.

However they need to depart instantly afterwards, as campaigning inside polling stations is just not permitted.

People who find themselves drunk can vote, except they’re disruptive.

Political dialogue is banned inside polling stations.

Workers will intervene in the event that they hear any chat about candidates or events.

They’ll, if they’re registered to vote at your polling station – however they can’t enter the sales space the place you vote.

And if they aren’t registered there, the employees might resolve to refuse them entry.

Bringing kids to the polling station is inspired, as a result of it’s seen as educating them about democracy.

However a toddler is just not allowed to mark your vote on the poll paper.

Folks sometimes signal their ballots – but when the title is identifiable, the vote won’t depend.

No – it’s solely as much as you whether or not or not you vote.

Native councils recruit the presiding officer and employees to conduct the poll, depend the votes and course of the postal votes.

The primary councils might be counted in a single day into early Friday morning. You may observe all the newest outcomes on the BBC web site after 22:00 BST on our outcomes pages right here: