2010 General Election – You Can Still Vote here in Hedge End even If you’ve just Moved House

With a general election looming and 3 June the latest date on which it can be held, and 6 May looking (sounding) likely, if you’ve recently moved house there’s still time to register to vote to make sure your vote counts here in Hedge End.

The result was tight in Eastleigh Constituency in the 2005 general election.   

Hedge End’s MP, Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne, won with 19,216 votes – just 568 votes more than the number cast for Conservative candidate Conor Burns.

The Council conducts an audit of households each year during the autumn months of September, October and November, publishing an electoral register on 1 December of those eligible to vote in the borough (see Hedgeendpeople story ‘Hedge End Voters, Time to Return Your Electoral Registration Form – It’s the Law’). In the old days if you moved house after the electoral roll was published you continued to be registered to vote at your previous address until the following autumn.

Now, however, new regulations allow for a monthly update from December to August to enable people who’ve moved – either into or within the borough – to update their registration details.

For example, if you return a registration form to Eastleigh Borough Council by 10 March, you will be registered as at your new address on 1 April, if the form is received by the Council by 12 April, your details will change on 4 May.

So whatever your political allegiance – if you’ve moved house and want to make sure your vote counts in Hedge End, telephone 023 8068 8110/8106, email elections@eastleigh.gov.ukhone or visit the Eastleigh Borough Council website and where you can also download a Voter Registration Form.

The full results in the general election of 5 May 2005 were:

Conor Burns (Conservative)    18,648 votes

Chris Huhne (Liberal Democrat)   19,216 votes

Christopher Murphy (UKIP)         1,669 votes

Christopher Watt (Labour)       10,238 votes

Photo from Flickr, by hugovk.