Make sure you are registered to vote and have ID to decide who should be the Police and Crime Commissioner (…and possibly MP)

The people of North Wales should be going to the polls to vote on a new policing representative soon, with light preparation in place incase a General Election is also called.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections are taking place on 2 May and in just over a months time from 10 April, you will be able to find out information on the candidates standing for election in North Wales.

The PCC should be your representative, and is responsible for holding the Chief Constable and North Wales Police to account on your behalf, and will oversee how crime is tackled in North Wales and aim to ensure the Police are providing a good service.

You need to be registered to be able to vote to have your say on who that should be.

You will also now need to show an approved form of photo ID at polling stations when there is Parliamentary or Police and Crime Commissioner election – there is more official information on voter ID locally here.

If you are not registered visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or contact Wrexham Council.

If you are registered, and eligible to vote you can either vote in person at a polling station, by post, or by proxy (allowing someone you trust to vote on your behalf).

PCCs are elected using the first past the post voting system, where the candidate with the most votes, wins. Voters will vote by choosing a single candidate on the ballot paper. This is the same system as UK Parliamentary elections.

A Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) is responsible for the overall conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioners Elections in a particular area – and Ian Bancroft, the Chief Executive of Wrexham County Council, has been appointed as the PARO for the North Wales area in the Police and Crime Commissioners Elections 2024.

There are a range of key dates for this PCC election cycle as stated by Wrexham Council:

Notice of election: Monday, March 25, 2024
Delivery of nomination papers: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 – Friday, April 5, 2024 (between 10am and 4pm on any working day)
Deadline for withdrawals of nomination: Friday, April 5, 2024 (by 4pm)
Deadline for notification of appointment of election agents: Friday, April 5, 2024 (by 4pm)
Statement of persons nominated: Monday, April 8, 2024 (by 4pm)
Candidates and agents briefing session (post-nominations): Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Deadline for receiving applications for registration: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Deadline for receiving or amending postal vote applications: Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (by 5pm)
Deadline for receiving applications for Voter Authority Certificates: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (by 5pm)
Deadline for receiving proxy applications: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (by 5pm)
Publication of notice of poll: Not later than Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (by 5pm)
Polling day: Thursday, May 2, 2024
PCC verification and count process: Friday, May 3, 2024 (start at 9am) if stand-alone; or Sunday, May 5, 2024 (start at 9am) if combined with UK Parliamentary General Election

The last line implies that if a General Election is called in the coming few weeks to align with the PCC election and a more traditional May election, any UK Parliament vote would take place on the Thursday and presumably take precedent over the PCC result with a count taking place overnight as is normal, and the PCC result bumped until Sunday.

Either way make sure you are registered to vote to ensure you have your say!