Don’t be caught out if a snap election is called

A General Election will happen by 3 June. But the Prime Minister could announce a date at very short notice, and if this happens there won’t be much time to register to vote or to arrange a postal or proxy vote.

If Mr Brown gives the very minimum of notice, it would mean that the poll would be held just 17 working days after his announcement. So there would only be six working days to submit registration and postal voting applications in time for the election.

The following table shows when the registration deadlines would be, depending on which date the election is held. (The actual election date is for the Prime Minister to decide, and might not be any of these dates.)

For an election on	The announcement would have to be on	You’d have to register to vote by	Or arrange for a postal vote by	Or arrange for a proxy vote by
8 April	12 March	22 March	22 March (5pm)	29 March (5pm)
6 May	12 April	20 April	20 April (5pm)	27 April (5pm)
3 June	10 May	18 May	18 May (5pm)	25 May (5pm)

You don’t have to wait for the election to be called before taking action. Anyone who has moved home in the last few months and has not re-registered as an elector, or who failed to register last autumn when the current register of electors was compiled, or would prefer to vote by post rather than in person or needs to appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf, should get an application in as early as possible.

• For more information about registering and postal/proxy votes, please see www.northnorfolk.org/council.asp

Constituency changes for the 2010 General Election

Electors in the west of North Norfolk will be voting for the new Broadland constituency at this year’s general election. Recent changes to the parliamentary electoral boundaries mean that electors living in 25 parishes around Fakenham will this year be voting for the new Broadland constituency Member of Parliament instead of the MP for North Norfolk.

The election for the Broadland constituency will be administered by the Acting Returning Officer Colin Bland, who is the Chief Executive of Broadland District Council. But North Norfolk District Council’s electoral team will still organise the poll and the postal voting in the parts of the new constituency that fall in North Norfolk District. Polling stations will stay the same as for other elections. The ballot boxes and postal votes from the new area will be transported after the polls have closed to Broadland so they are included with the count for the rest of the new constituency.

The 25 parishes which will now be part of the Broadland Constituency are:

Barsham	Briningham	Dunton	Fakenham	Fulmodestone
Great Snoring	Gunthorpe	Helhoughton	Hempton	Hindolveston
Kettlestone	Little Snoring	Melton Constable	Pudding Norton	Raynham
Ryburgh	Sculthorpe	Stibbard	Swanton Novers	Tattersett
Thurning	Thursford	Walsingham	Wighton	Wood Norton

ENDS