Time running out for Blackburn with Darwen voters to get registered

People in Blackburn with Darwen who want to vote in the local elections on Thursday 7 May and are not already registered at their current address have until Monday 20 April to sign up.

Registration is done through the government website at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Denise Park, Chief Executive and Returning Officer for elections in Blackburn with Darwen, said: “If you are already registered to vote at your current address, please don’t register to vote again.

“It can cause problems with your voting preferences, such as having a postal vote or having someone else nominated as a proxy to vote on your behalf in a polling station.

“If you haven’t moved home since the last elections in 2024 and you were able to vote in those, then you’ll be registered at your current address – and you don’t need to do anything to be able to vote in local elections on Thursday 7 May.”

Anyone unsure whether they are already registered can check with the council’s elections team before filling in another application.

Email voting@blackburn.gov.uk or call 01254 585920.

Deadlines are also coming up for postal vote and proxy vote applications.

Postal vote applications can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote, with a deadline of 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.

If someone already has a postal vote arrangement in place and their details have not changed, they do not need to do anything. But anyone who first applied for a postal vote before 31 October 2023 must submit a new application, because postal vote requests are valid for a maximum of three years.

If you are unsure whether you are registered for a postal vote, or cannot remember when you applied, you can check with the elections team using the contact details above.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2024.

Someone who cannot get to a polling station on election day can nominate a proxy, who is someone they trust to cast their vote on their behalf.

Proxy votes can be applied for online at www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.

Details of the candidates standing for election in all 17 wards of Blackburn with Darwen have been published on the council’s website.