Remember to vote on Election Day!

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The prime minister has announced that an election will be held on 6 May 2010 for the United Kingdom parliament. Two members of parliament (MPs) will be elected for Renfrewshire:

• Paisley and Renfrewshire North
• Paisley and Renfrewshire South

It's important that you vote to make sure that you choose the people who make decisions on issues that affect you. Are you registered to vote for this election?

The Electoral Register
The electoral register is a list of everyone who is registered to vote. You must be on the register to vote at elections. Remember, you're not automatically registered even if you pay council tax. To check that your name is on the register, contact:

• The Electoral Registration Officer,
  The Robertson Centre
  16 Glasgow Road, Paisley PA1 3QF
  Phone: 0141 842 5922

• Your local library

Also, if you have recently moved house you should check the electoral register right away as you may not be registered to vote at your new address.

There are two types of register – the full version and the edited version. Your details will appear on the full version but you can choose whether or not your details appear on the edited register. The full register is used for elections, for preventing and detecting crime and it is also used by registered credit reference agencies for checking applications for credit. The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing.

If you’re not registered then you can’t vote – it's as simple as that!


Do you know that postal voting could make life easier for you?

Applying for a postal vote
Have you considered voting by post? If you don’t have time to vote in person, postal voting could make your life easier. You simply fill out your ballot paper in advance and send it off in time for the poll. You can also apply for a postal vote at any time, not just in the last few weeks before the election.

The process is simple – all you have to do is fill out a single application form. You can get an application form for a postal vote from your electoral registration office (contact details above) or download a copy from the internet and return it to the electoral registration officer. You can find the form at the Scottish Assessor's Association website

Once you’ve completed and returned your application for a postal vote, this will ensure that when the next election comes around and for every election afterwards if you choose, your ballot paper will be posted out to you before the election. Simply mark your paper and pop it in the post in the envelope provided, or alternatively, if it’s more convenient, you can drop off the ballot paper and the related documents at a polling station in your constituency before close of poll on polling day.

Please note that for postal voting, new anti-fraud measures have been put in place by the Government, you are required to provide the Electoral Registration Officer with a specimen signature and your date of birth.

Most importantly, once you know you’re registered to vote and you have decided whether you want to vote by post, make sure that you use your vote.

Remember, no vote, no voice!