Elections hotline hours extended

Blackburn with Darwen Council has announced it will extend the opening hours of its elections helpline call centre to help voters in the run-up to next week’s election.

The call centre has been hugely successful and has helped hundreds of voters already especially around completing postal votes.

The hotline will be open from 10-4pm on Saturday and 10-1pm on Sunday too although closed on Bank Holiday Monday. People though can still leave a message and their contact details, so the team can ring them back when the elections call centre re-opens at 9am on Tuesday.

The call centre will also be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week until 8pm. Even after that time (excluding Polling Day) voters will be able to leave a message and staff will ring them back.

Harry Catherall, Acting Returning Officer for the Blackburn parliamentary election and Returning Officer for the Blackburn with Darwen local election, said:

If you are registered but don’t use your vote you miss the chance to have a say in how things are run in your community and in the country.

Every vote can make a difference, and the right to vote in elections is an essential part of being a member of an open and democratic society. I would urge all residents to exercise that freedom and have their say.

Also remember to make use of your postal vote if you have chosen to vote in this way. We had around 20,000 postal vote applications which have now been issued.

There is no point leaving it lying on the mantelpiece or dining room table.  Anybody who finds it complicated or has any questions at all can ring the call centre for support.

The number is (01254) 585920.

There is also lots of information on the Council’s website www.blackburn.gov.uk and you can also visit Youtube for an informative video. Just search for absent voting – casting your vote by post or proxy.