South Tyneside voters urged to plan ahead for EU referendum

Research carried out for the Electoral Commission found 35% of voters had not yet planned what time they would be voting and the Commission is recommending everyone makes sure they plan when to vote so they don’t miss out on the day.

There are 95 polling stations in South Tyneside, all of which will be open from 7am to 10pm. Anyone who arrives after 10pm will not be allowed to cast their vote, although any voter arriving before 10pm and queuing will still be able to vote.

The Commission also found the most popular time for voting was between 5pm and 8pm with 19% of respondents planning to vote at this time, while a further 29% planned to vote before mid-day.

South Tyneside Council chief executive Martin Swales is the Counting Officer for the borough: : “I encourage South Tyneside residents to take a few minutes to plan what time they will arrive at the polling station on June 23,” he said.

“Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm and the busiest time is usually in the late afternoon – when parents come with their children after school - and early evening when people come to vote after work.

“Voters who can be flexible, may want to avoid the peak times.

South Tyneside Council is encouraging local residents to:

*plan what time they will cast their vote at the polling station, leaving plenty of time before the 10pm deadline;

*read and bring their poll card which should have come through the door and says where their polling station is. It is not compulsory to bring the card in order to vote, but it will speed up the process;

*if voting by post, make sure they send their postal ballot back in plenty of time as postal votes arriving after 10pm on June 23 will not be counted. Anyone who forgets to send their postal ballot can hand it in at any polling station in their council area on polling day;

*mark their ballot paper with one ‘X’ only in the box beside the option they want.

Anyone has misplaced their poll card, or is unsure where their polling station is, can visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/elections or contact South Tyneside’s Electoral Services Team on (0191) 424 7248 or 7527 for further information.