With the Independence Referendum being the main focus of political discussion across the country it’s easy to forget that the Local Government Elections are now only ten weeks away. Edinburgh residents are now being urged to join the thousands already registered to vote in the Local Government elections on Thursday 3 May 2012 – and you only have until 18 April to make sure you have your say on how Edinburgh is governed.
Almost 60,000 people have already registered to vote by post, out of more than 330,000 electors. This is the highest number of postal voters registered for any council in Scotland.
Sue Bruce, Returning Officer for Edinburgh said: “We are pleased to see that so many people have already registered to vote. For those who have not yet done so, I would urge you to make sure you register by the deadline of 18 April.
“Registering is quick and easy and makes sure that you will be able to vote in a way that is most convenient for you – by post, at a polling station near your home or even in exceptional circumstances, by proxy – so that you can have your say in the elections on Thursday 3 May.”
You can check if you are registered by phoning the Electoral Registration Office on 0131 344 2500. If you are not already a postal voter and wish to apply you can download a form from www.lothian-vjb.gov.uk or phone 0131 344 2500 and ask for a form to be posted to you.
In the forthcoming Local Government election, voters will be electing 58 councillors to represent them across the city’s 17 wards. There are 7 four-member and 10 three-member wards in Edinburgh. The election will be conducted under a voting system called the ‘Single Transferable Vote’ (STV). Voters can vote for as many candidates that they like, ranking them 1, 2, 3 etc in order of preference. A formula then calculates who is elected based on those preferences.
Further details on the 2012 Local Government election will be available on the city council’s website over the coming weeks.