North East councils explain How Do I Vote in Thursday elections
Voters asking how do i vote in the North East elections will head to polling stations on Thursday across seven councils in north-east England. Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Hartlepool are among the places where councillors are being selected, with different contest types across the region.
The ballot covers 136 local councils nationwide, and millions of people will be able to vote on Thursday. In Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside, every seat is up for grabs because boundary changes agreed by the Local Government Boundary Commission take effect this time round.
Newcastle and Gateshead
The all-out elections in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside mean voters in those councils are choosing every councillor at once. The boundary changes brought those contests about, and the people elected will represent their wards.
In North Tyneside and Hartlepool, only a third of each council's seats are being contested. That leaves the two councils on a different cycle from the four all-out contests nearby, even though all six are voting on the same day.
Photo ID and registration
Anyone voting needs to arrive at a voting booth with photo ID, then select a favourite candidate and place the ballot paper in the box. People who wanted to vote had to be registered by 20 April.
The winning candidates will become councillors for their wards, and where one political party holds a majority of the seats it will effectively run the council. That control covers services ranging from bin collections to planning applications, so Thursday's vote decides who sets that direction in each area.
North East councils
The region's mix of all-out and partial elections is the main practical difference for voters moving from one council area to another. Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside are choosing every seat; North Tyneside and Hartlepool are not.
For voters, the immediate action is simple: bring photo ID, check the ballot paper, and vote in the ward where they are registered. The result will shape each council's membership straight away, and in the all-out contests it will do so for every seat at once.
