Despite Brexit – we’re having an EU election

Leaving the EU is looking increasingly unlikely so those in charge would like you to register to vote and ‘have your say’ in the European Parliament elections on Thursday 23 May.

We know you ‘had your say’ back in 2016 but that decision’s been ignored. Of course if you don’t like the results of this European election you could always claim you had been misled and ask for a re-run – we could call it a Peoples Vote!

For what it’s worth this is the advice being given by those who appear to know what’s going on and have decided they know what’s best for us:

People will not be able to vote unless they have ensured they are on the Electoral Register. If you are not registered already, visit the Governments register-to-vote web pages and register by the Tuesday 7 May deadline. 

More than five million people across North West England will have the opportunity to vote in these elections to select the region’s eight Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

The North West European Elections will take place across the region on Thursday 23 May 2019, with 300 polling stations across Cheshire East. The count of those ballot papers will take place on Sunday 26 May in Macclesfield, with the declaration taking place in Manchester on Sunday 26 May, after polls close across Europe.

European Union citizens living in the North West, who are registered to vote, can vote in either the UK or in their country of origin – but not both. To vote in the UK, they must be registered to vote and have completed an additional European Voter Registration Form. 

The deadline for the return of this form is also Tuesday 7 May. 

Anyone who is on the electoral register can choose to register to vote by post. Applications for a postal vote in this election must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 8 May. The deadline for proxy votes is 5pm on Wednesday 15 May. To find out more, visit the Your vote matters website. 

A full list of candidates for the European Parliament Elections is available online via the Cheshire East Council website: 

Joanne Roney OBE, Regional Returning Officer for the European Parliament Elections in the North West, said: “While the circumstances around these elections are somewhat unexpected, this election gives people the opportunity to elect the politicians who will represent them in Europe until such point as the UK leaves the European Union.

“Election teams across the North West are focused on the effective organisation of these elections and we don’t want anyone to miss out on their right to vote because they are not registered.”

Kath O’Dwyer, Cheshire East Council’s Local Returning Officer for the European elections in the borough, said: “I would urge everyone to check that they are registered to vote and to register now if they have not already done so.

“It is important for the health and vitality of our local democracy that people, who are eligible, register to vote and then go out and vote on polling day and have their say.

“If you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice. So I would urge everyone, who is eligible, to take the time to register to vote and be heard.”

The European Parliament Elections are run using a form of proportional representation. Voters have one vote only and this can be cast for either a political party or an individual candidate. Each political party puts forward a list of candidates for the North West and the number of MEPs that are elected will depend on the overall share of the vote that a party or individual candidate receives in the region. 

MEPs represent the whole of the North West region – so everybody who is eligible to vote in the region will be voting for the same list of parties and candidates.