Voter Registration deadline- April 20

As a national advertising campaign is launched to encourage voter registration ahead of the General Election, Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) is encouraging local people to visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

On May 7 voters will go to the polls to elect a Member of Parliament. They will also be able to vote for councillors to represent them on CWaC and their Town or Parish Council.

The Electoral Commission national voter registration campaign reminds people to register by April 20.

Recent research conducted by YouGov for the Electoral Commission found that:

• 21% of people who rent privately think they're automatically registered to vote if they pay council tax – they aren't.
• 40% of those surveyed think it is not possible to register to vote online in England, Scotland and Wales – they can.
• 69% do not know the deadline to register to vote, with 13% thinking it is already too late to register. When given a choice of five options only 32% correctly identified the deadline as 20 April.

CWaC has already undertaken a wide range of activities to encourage voter registration. These include running registration days at Chester Barracks and the University, visiting all care homes in the borough, making direct contact with 6th form schools and colleges as well as sending leaflets to housing associations and private landlords.

Steve Robinson, Electoral Registration Officer for CWaC said: "Time is now running short to ensure you can take part in the elections, so I'd encourage everyone to take action now if they aren't registered to vote."

"Our message is simple: you can't vote if you're not registered by 20 April. It's easy to do and only takes a few minutes online

"Residents can check whether they're registered to vote by calling 0300 123 7 045."