General Election 2024 – and are you registered to vote?

On 22 May the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, announced the General Election will take place on 4 July 2024. Details of candidates will be available after 5pm on Friday 7 June. Nether Stowey is part of the new Bridgwater Constituency which was created by the The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023 which came into force in November 2023, after a long period of consultation. You can find more details at Boundary-review-2023-which-seats-will-change/. The “West Somerset” part of the constituency is now in a new constituency “Tiverton and Minehead”. Have you registered to vote?! If you received a polling card for the recent Avon and Somerset PCC election you are already registered and you do not need to register unless your details have changed.

Voters need to be registered to take part in the election. Applying only takes five minutes at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote (Opens in new window) and must be done on or before 18 June. You can also use this link if you are registered but need to update your details (name, address or nationality).

You can also get a paper form from the Parish Office, but you must return it to Somerset Council by 18 June. The address is below. 

Voters can choose whether to vote at a polling station, by post or by proxy. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 19 June, and for a proxy vote it is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. Applications should be sent to the Electoral Registration Officer at Somerset Council – the address is below.

Please do not bring or send your form(s) to the Parish Council as we cannot help you. 

Voter ID

For the first time at a UK general election, those voting at a polling station will need to show photo ID. Voters should check now if they have an accepted form of ID at www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/photo-id-youll-need, and if not to apply for free ID, called the Voter Authority Certificate (Opens in new window) by 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.

Who can register if you live in England

You must be aged 16 or over. You can register to vote if you’re a British citizen or an Irish citizen. You can also register if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man – or you do not need permission – and you’re a:

• Commonwealth citizen
• citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain
• citizen of another EU country, if you have had permission to enter or stay – or not needed permission – since 31 December 2020, and this has continued without a break

Who to contact

For questions about your poll card, polling station, or about returning your postal voting ballot, contact: Somerset Council (formerly Sedgemoor) Electoral Registration Officer Bridgwater House King Square Bridgwater TA6 3AR Phone: 0300 123 2224 Email: electionssedgemoor@somerset.gov.uk Website: Somerset Council website