A NEW campaign has been launched to encourage people across the region to register to vote ahead of local elections on May 2.

The Electoral Commission estimates that 16 per cent of people are not registered to vote in the region. Its ‘Got 5?’ campaign encourages people to take five minutes to register to vote online before elections take place in 23 out of 37 local authorities in the South West.

Adrian Green, Electoral Commission regional manager for the South West, said:

“The region is gearing up for local elections in May. With most of the area going to the polls, it is vital that people in these areas register to vote before the April 12 deadline.

“It only takes five minutes to register to vote online – time that you might otherwise spend waiting for the kettle to boil or a bus to arrive. So if you want to make sure your voice is heard, go online and register now.”

Local elections select councillors, who are responsible for making decisions on running services in each local area.

Anyone who is not yet registered must do so by April 12 in order to vote in elections in their local area.

The campaign targets young people aged 18-34, recent home movers and private renters, who are all less likely to be registered to vote.

To vote in local elections a person must be registered to vote, 18 years or over on polling day and also be either a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the EU and a permanent resident in the UK.

People can find out if they have elections in their area at www.yourvotematters.co.uk.

More information on voting in the local elections can be found on the Commission’s Your Vote Matters website.