On 2 May, London will be voting on who you want to be the Mayor of London, and the London Assembly members. This election is important, but also different in a few ways because of recent changes to how voting works.
WHY VOTE?
London is an incredible city, and each and every Londoner, wherever we’re from in the UK and from beyond, has chosen to make this city our collective home.
In our little bit of west London, so much of what keeps the city moving and working is either controlled by or directly influenced by the Mayor of London.
All of London’s councils, just like Ealing, work closely with City Hall to shape so much of what happens in our neighbourhoods and communities. Whether it is transporting you from home to work on the public transport network, policing the streets, fighting fire, delivering affordable homes, or setting out how growth should happen across the nation’s capital, the Greater London Authority has a huge impact.
The job of a London Assembly member, meanwhile, is to hold the mayor to account for decisions made, to make sure they are in the best interest of us all and investigate issues that are important to Londoners.
REGISTER TO VOTE
With just 6 weeks to go, there is still time to register to vote if you haven’t done so already. It’s easy to register to vote online – and you need to do it by Tuesday 16 April, or you won’t be able to vote in the London elections.
Whether you need help registering to vote or applying for a postal vote, you can find out more on the council’s elections webpages or by contacting the council’s elections team on elections@ealing.gov.uk or on 020 8825 7777.
TAKE A PHOTO ID
Because of a change in legislation brought in by the government, you now need to take a photo ID to the polling station.
You can take your passport, photo driving licence, Blue Badge, Freedom Pass and various other forms of photo ID. You can view a full list online.
You will only need to show one form of photo ID, but it must be the original. Copies will not be accepted.
If you don’t have any of the accepted photo ID listed, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online. This is a simple process and will ensure that you don’t miss out on your right to vote. Make sure if you need to apply for a Voting Authority Certificate that you don’t leave this until the last moment.
VOTE BY POST
If you know you can’t get to the polling station on polling day or if you feel that it might be more convenient, you can vote by post rather than attending a polling station to vote in person on the day. You will need to register to do this.
The deadline for registering for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 17 April.
If you opt for postal voter registration, then you won’t need photo ID, but you will need to know your national insurance number when you apply for a postal vote.
If you’ve previously voted in the London elections, then you will notice that things will look different this time round.
FIRST PAST THE POST
Under the old system, you used to be able to vote for your first and second preference candidates.
From now on, London mayor elections will use the same voting system used to elect MPs to the UK Parliament, which is called ‘first past the post’.
This means you only get one vote and the candidate with the most votes will become Mayor of London.
The voting system for London Assembly candidates will be the same as it was in previous years.
FINALLY…
Decisions are made by those that show up.
Exercise your fundamental right to shape the future of your city by voting on 2 May.
You can read more on how to register to vote and photo ID in the current edition of Around Ealing magazine which is also available to read online.
