Election of a Mayor for Doncaster 2021 Booklet
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Election of a Mayor for Doncaster 2021 About this booklet The Mayoral voting system The Mayoral candidates This booklet must be sent to you by law. The voting system in a Mayoral election There are 7 candidates standing for Mayor of Doncaster. Election addresses That means everyone who is registered is different to others. It uses the from all of them appear in this booklet. to vote will receive a copy individually. supplementary voting system which means you can choose your first and All candidates are listed in alphabetical order and with any political party they are It includes: second preference candidate. More standing for or as an independent candidate. This is the order they will appear on • Information about the election information on the voting system is on the ballot paper. page 4 of this booklet. • Voting information including postal and proxy votes, how to fill in your Doncaster Council is putting in extra Candidate Description ballot paper precautions to help keep everyone safe during this year’s election. • Key dates up to and including the election There are three ways you can choose Joan BRIGGS to vote: • How the Mayoral election result is calculated • Vote in person at a covid-secure Andy BUDDEN Yorkshire Party polling station. Social distancing • An election address (i.e. a statement) measures will be in place and a limit Frank Lloyd CALLADINE Independent from each of the Mayoral candidates on the number of people allowed who wish to be included into the polling station at any one Warren Peter DRAPER Green Party • Frequently asked questions time. You will also need to wear a face covering (unless exempt), so Surjit Singh DUHRE Reform UK On Thursday May 6 2021 electors in please remember to bring yours with Doncaster will vote for a Mayor who will you. There will be single use pencils James Vincent HART The Conservative Party Candidate have a four year term of office until 2025. available to mark your ballot papers, On the same day you will also vote for but you can bring your own pen or Ros JONES Labour Party local ward councillors and the Police and pencil if you wish. Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire. • Vote by post – If you prefer not to Some wards will also vote for town and vote in person you can apply for a parish councillors. These votes are not postal vote; to request an application connected to the Mayoral election. The order in which the candidates’ addresses appear in this booklet has been form please call 0800 180 4604 or determined by the drawing of lots by the Returning Officer. Each candidate is The ballot paper for the Mayoral election email electoralservices@doncaster. responsible for the content of their election address. The views expressed in is separate to the other elections taking gov.uk and send your completed form these addresses are theirs alone and cannot be attributed to the Returning Officer place and is lilac. back as soon as possible, and make or Doncaster Council. sure it reaches us no later than 5pm on Tuesday 20 April 2021. Damian Allen Returning Officer • Vote by proxy – you can ask Civic Office somebody else to vote on your Waterdale behalf. To request an application form Doncaster please call 0800 180 4604 or email DN1 3BU [email protected] and send your completed form back For more information visit: www.doncaster.gov.uk/elections or call 0800 180 4604 as soon as possible, and make sure it reaches us no later than 5pm on Tuesday 27 April 2021. 2 3 Voting information, postal votes and key dates Completing your ballot paper Every registered elector will receive an official poll card which will include your name, The ballot paper is lilac and will list all the candidates standing. Next to the list of address and number on the electoral register. It will explain when and where to vote. candidates will be two columns. Visit www.doncaster.gov.uk/elections for details of your assigned polling station or call 0800 180 4604. If you have applied for a postal vote, we will send your postal voting pack around 21 April. As the Mayoral election is combined with Council local ward elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, you will receive your Mayoral ballot paper Election of Mayor in a combined postal pack. You should send your completed postal voting statement and marked ballot papers to the Returning Officer in the envelope provided straight FIRST SECOND away. You cannot vote at a polling station if you have a postal vote. You can drop off CHOICE CHOICE your completed postal pack at your local polling station or the Civic Office up to 10pm on May 6 if you do not post it in time. Candidate You put an X in the first If you lose or spoil your postal ballot papers you can apply for a replacement column for your first choice by contacting the Election Office by 5pm on Thursday May 6. If you want to vote by and an X in the second Candidate proxy – that is someone who can vote for you at your polling station if you cannot go column for your second yourself – you must apply by completing a form by 5pm on April 27. choice, if you have one. Candidate April 21 Do not mark more than one If you opted to vote by post you will receive it around X in each column – your vote Candidate Postal vote April 21. If you do not receive your postal pack by April 29 will not be counted if you do. packs start please call our helpline: 0800 180 4604 or e-mail to arrive [email protected] Candidate April 27 Candidate If you are a registered voter and you wish to apply for a Last date for proxy new application to vote by proxy (someone to vote on vote request your behalf) you must do this before 5pm. Candidate Making a second choice is not compulsory. If you only Candidate May 6 Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm. want to make a first choice Polling You can return your postal vote to the Civic Office or your make sure you place your X in Day local polling station if you do not post it in time. To find the first column. your polling station, check your poll card or visit: If you do not vote in column apps.doncaster.gov.uk/FindMyPollingStation You cannot make a second two, your first choice will still choice only and leave the first be counted. However, if you column blank - If you do this vote for the same candidate May 6/7 Counting of the Mayoral election will take place on the evening your vote will not be counted. twice, your second choice The of Thursday May 6. The elected Mayor will then take up office on vote will not be counted. Count Monday May 10. Local ward councillor votes will be counted on Friday May 7. Town and parish councillor votes will be counted on Saturday May 8 and the Police and Crime Commissioner votes will be counted on Monday May 10. 4 5 How the winner in the Mayoral election is chosen Frequently asked questions The law says it must be done this way. It allows you to say Why two votes for who your second choice for Mayor would be if your first Stage 1 Stage 2 one Mayor? choice is not in the top two after the first round of counting Count all first preference No-one gets more than 50% and if there is not an outright winner at that stage. votes. If one candidate then 2nd choices counted In the usual way with a single X clearly in each of the achieves more than 50% How do I mark columns indicated. You have two votes – one for your of 1st choice votes my vote? first choice and one for your second choice, if you wish to use it. What happens if I Your first choice will still be counted. don’t make a second choice? The two candidates with the highest Mayor number of votes stay in the contest. I really don’t like any Your ballot paper will be rejected, which means it won’t Elected The rest are eliminated of the candidates. count, because you have not voted for a first preference. What happens if I only mark an X in the second choice column? What if I mark an X Your ballot paper will be rejected. If you wish to vote for two candidates then you must mark an X in column 1 for in the first choice your first choice candidate and an X in column 2 for your column for more second choice candidate. than one candidate? The 2nd choice votes on the ballot papers of the eliminated candidates are Why has every The law governing this election says everyone registered counted and any that have been cast for elector in the to vote must be sent their own copy so that they get a either of the two remaining candidates chance to see one - no matter how many electors are are added to their first preference total. household been registered at that address. sent a booklet, The person with the most votes is wouldn’t one do? elected as Mayor. Further information is available at www.doncaster.gov.uk/elections or if you have specific questions email: [email protected] 6 7 ElectJoan BRIGGS JOAN BRIGGS as MyJoan BRIGGS Plan for Doncaster 1.