Background Information
The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 requires local authorities to undertake a compulsory review of polling districts and polling places in its area.
What is a polling district?
A ‘polling district’ is a geographical area. Legislation requires that each community must be a separate polling district. If the community is large, and in order to provide easy access, the community can be divided into smaller polling districts.
What is a polling place?
A 'polling place' is the geographical area, in which a polling station is located. There is no legal definition of a polling place. The geographical area could be defined as tightly as a particular building or as widely as the entire polling district.
What is a polling station?
A polling station is the room or area within the polling place where voting takes place. Unlike polling districts and polling places which are fixed by the local authority, polling stations are chosen by the relevant Returning Officer for the election.
How the review is conducted
The returning officer will be consulted on the current arrangements and will make representations on the existing polling stations used.
Aim of the review
In conducting this review, the council must seek to ensure that:-
- All electors in the constituency have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances
- Polling places are accessible to all electors and all sections of the community
- When considering or reviewing the designation of a polling place, have regard to the accessibility needs of disabled persons
What is being reviewed?
- The polling district boundaries within each ward of each constituency
- The location of the polling place in each polling district
- The accessibility of each polling place
- Buildings that might be considered for use as polling stations
What cannot be reviewed at this time?
Who will be consulted?
- Residents of Blackpool
- Local councillors
- Members of Parliament for the constituencies of Blackpool South and Blackpool North and Fleetwood
- Political parties
- Community and disability groups
Guidance on submission of representations and suggestions
The council welcomes the views of all residents, particularly disabled residents, any person or body with expertise in access for persons with any type of disability on its proposals and the returning officer’s representation or any other matter relating to the electoral process.
Persons or bodies making representations should, if possible, give alternative places that may be considered for use as a polling station.