Local Elections will be held on 2nd May for all seats on Dorset Council and Town / Parish Councils. The official notices for the elections for the Dorset Council Wards, and Parish and Town areas can be seen below as embedded PDFs or can be downloaded here:
- Election of Councillors for the Dorset Council Wards
- Election of Councillors for the parish and town areas
If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor, there are several videos which can tell you more about it:
- ‘What parish councils do in the community’
- ‘What parish councils do across Dorset’
- ‘Why becoming a parish councillor in Dorset matters’
Nomination papers must be hand delivered to the Returning Officer, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ between 9.30am and 4.30pm on any working day after the date of publication of this Notice (excluding bank holidays) but no later than 4pm on Friday 5 April 2024. Some additional appointments will be available in the evenings and also at locations in Blandford Forum, Wareham and Wimborne. Details can be found at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/dorset-council-elections-on-2-may-2024-information-for-candidates.
Nomination papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ during the times stated above or can be downloaded from https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-local- government-elections-england/nominations/completing-your-nomination-papers/nomination-form.
If any election is contested the poll will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024. To be able to vote in the elections you need to register as a voter by April 16th. Applications for postal votes need to be made by 12 midnight on Tuesday 16 April 2024, and proxy votes by 24th April. You can find all the details for this on the Dorset Council website ‘Register-to-vote’. Applications, amendments or cancellations of postal votes and amendments or cancellations of proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ by 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024. Apply online to vote by post or download an application form at https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.
Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate or an Anonymous Elector’s Document valid for this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024. Apply online for a Voter Authority Certificate or download an application form at https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.
New applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024. Apply online to vote by proxy or download an application form at https://www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.
Applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Dorset Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ by 5pm on Thursday 2 May 2024. Download an application form at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proxy-voting- application-forms.
Notice of election - Dorset Council - 2 May 2024 v110324