CLASP members given confidence ahead of local elections

Wokingham Borough Council’s Electoral Services Team delivered an interactive talk to members of a local charity to give them confidence about the voting process ahead of this year’s local elections.

About 25 people attended the session at the Bradbury Centre in Wokingham on Friday 14 April, with members, trustees and staff from CLASP all getting the chance to ask questions and better understand some of the changes being introduced.

The local elections on Thursday 4 May are the first time when residents will need to show photographic ID to be able to vote at a polling station.

Anyone who does not have suitable ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) and the deadline for this is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April.

Who needs to order a Voter Authority Certificate

Not everyone will need to apply for a free VAC, as many forms of photo ID, such as a driving licence or passport, are already suitable.

You can find a full list of accepted forms of ID on the Electoral Commission’s website.

CLASP is a self-advocacy group for people with learning disabilities in Wokingham Borough and it holds various sessions and activities every month.

The Electoral Services Team gave a short presentation about the new requirement and answered lots of questions from enthusiastic CLASP members.

This was then followed by a mock ballot, which gave participants the chance to practise filling out a ballot paper as they picked their favourite coffee shop in Wokingham.

'You could see how engaged the group was'

Debs Morrison, CEO of CLASP Wokingham, said: “The session was fantastic and it was clear there had been a lot of preparation done by the council beforehand, which made such a big difference to the members.

"It was lovely to have the information available in easy-read and it was really interactive, so everyone really enjoyed it. You could see how engaged they were by the number of questions being asked.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it and I know the members did too. It was nice as well that those who were anxious were able to express that and were given the chance to feel reassured about how it works.

"Doing a mock ballot was a nice way for them to see what will happen when they go there on the day, as well as knowing there will be people there at the polling station to help them if they do need extra support.”

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Making polling stations more accessible

As well as voter ID, another change for next month’s elections is enhanced accessibility at polling stations.

Voters with disabilities will have access to extra assistance at polling stations, which means anyone over the age of 18 can attend to support a disabled voter.

In addition to borough elections, there are also town council elections in Earley, Wokingham and Woodley, as well as parish council elections in Winnersh.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on 4 May, but if you fail to bring ID with you, you will not be able to vote. Bringing your poll card alone will not entitle you to vote.

Making sure voting is open to everybody

Electoral Services Manager Sam Whitcher said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to speak to CLASP about the local elections and pleased by how enthusiastic everyone was.

"We took the opportunity to check members were registered to vote and explained the additional support coming in to make the voting process more accessible.

“From our perspective, one of the key aspects of the new voter ID requirement is to ensure all residents have what they need to have their say on 4 May and that nobody is left behind.

"The feedback we got was very positive and it was our pleasure to help members feel more comfortable. We hope they are looking forward to casting their vote on polling day.”

You can apply for a VAC online, or you can request a paper copy from the council. If you need any help completing the form, you can email the Electoral Services Team or call (0118) 974 6000.