Q Why have so many people fallen off the electoral register in the city?

A Last summer the new Individual Electoral Registration system for electoral registration was introduced in England and Wales replacing household registration in a bid to make the electoral register more accurate and give people control of their own voter registration.

In Brighton and Hove, 81% of previously registered residents were automatically transferred to the new system when it began in June 2014.

This was a lower rate than the national average and the Electoral Commission has suggested this is down to the number of private renters, young people and students in the city.

In February 2014, before the change there were 207,879 registered voters in Brighton and Hove but that dropped to 193,325 December 1. We are working hard to make sure everyone knows about how to register ahead of the May elections and the latest figures are moving in the right direction, there are currently 203,025 registered voters in the city.

Q How successful has the council’s attempts to get people to register been in recent months?

A We are very pleased to see the numbers rising. The electorate has increased from 193,325 in December 2014 to 203,025 at the last count which is almost back up to the levels of February 2014, before IER began.

The council has been encouraging people to register through a range of activities, including directly contacting residents, collaboration with the universities, delivering democracy lessons in sixth forms and promotion of our “All talk no vote?” campaign.

This will be ongoing right up to and beyond the election.

Q Who can see or buy details of residents registered on the electoral roll?

A Access to the Electoral Roll is dictated by central government policy and national legislation for all councils in the country.

Signing up to the Electoral Roll is safe and secure.

There are sometimes concerns about how the information is shared by councils but it is very simple to request that voter details are not used for marketing purposes.

Valid credit companies can buy the Full Register from any council for the purpose of credit referencing and councils are legally obliged to share information but the full register cannot be bought for marketing purposes.

There is also an Open Register which people can choose to opt out of when submitting their voter information or at any time.

The Open Register is available to buy and may be used for marketing purposes and councils are legally obliged to sell the Open Register on request.

In Brighton and Hove, very few applications are received to access the Open Register, it is not marketed and only sold on request.

Q Have all the polling stations been assigned in the city now, how many are there?

A Yes, all the polling stations have been allocated, and there are 128 in Brighton and Hove.

How many will be based in schools requiring to close for the day?

We have reduced the number of schools being used as polling stations.

My understanding is that only eight schools will close for the day.

In each case this was a decision taken by the Headteacher following a risk assessment. There are another six schools used as polling stations which usually remain open, in some cases the polling doesn’t have any impact on the main school operations, for example at Longhill in Rottingdean where we use the sports centre attached to the school for the day.

Q How many voting sites will be housed in temporary buildings?

A We will be using only four portacabins this year. These will be in place at four sites: Preston Park, Mackie Avenue, Ashurst/Halland Road and Saxon Road, Hove.

Q Will all of the temporary buildings have disabled access?

A Almost all stations are wheelchair accessible and temporary ramps are provided in 11 polling places, as well as the portacabins.

If someone is having difficulty entering a polling station using a wheelchair, the presiding officer at the station is authorised to bring out a ballot paper for the voter to fill in.

The completed paper is folded and delivered to the ballot box by the presiding officer.

For blind and partially sighted residents, we have what is called a “tactile device” available at every polling station.

The device fits over a ballot paper and has raised numbers, areas and braille to help people fill in the boxes in the right place.

If anyone has any concerns about being able to access a polling station, please do contact the electoral services team in advance for advice and all staff at polling stations will also be ready to help.

Q How many council staff will be employed on the day at a) polling stations and b) at the count?

A We will employ 442 polling station staff, 182 count assistants for the overnight parliamentary count on Thursday 7 May and 150 count assistants for the local election count on Saturday 9 May. More than half of these will be council employees.

We welcome people to apply to be part of the election team, it’s a fascinating experience. To apply for roles visit brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/voting-and-elections/working-elections

Q What is your role and responsibilities as returning officer?

A My duty as Returning Officer is to ensure the elections are administered effectively and that the experience of voters and candidates is a positive one. My responsibilities are broad and include publishing official notices, the nomination process, issuing and receiving postal votes, organising polling stations, verifying and counting the votes as well as the moment everyone is waiting for when I declare the results.

Q What will be the procedure for counting the council election vote?

A The local election ballot papers will be verified alongside the parliamentary ballot papers at the count overnight on Thursday May 7. The purpose of the verification is to check that the total number of papers in each ballot box tallies with the polling station record. The local election ballot papers will be sorted and counted on Saturday May 9 at the Brighton Centre.

Q If these votes are not to be counted immediately on Thursday, where will they be stored and what security will be in place to prevent risk of tampering?

A There will be very robust security arrangements in place, including locking and sealing the boxes, security guards on duty at all times and any further provision as advised by the police.

Q What proportion of city voters does the council anticipate will take up a postal vote?

A There are currently 34,934 postal voters in Brighton and Hove. We are expecting about 2,000 more applications as more residents realise they won’t be able to vote in person on election day for whatever reason.

The latest date anyone can apply for a postal vote is Tuesday.

Q Under what circumstances would a recount take place and what is the procedure for this?

A My aim is to ensure a smooth count giving all the candidates and agents confidence in the process.

However, there may be a request for a recount if the result is close or where a parliamentary candidate may be at risk of losing their deposit (a candidate who achieves less than 5% of the vote will lose their deposit). I will provide the provisional result to candidates and agents, giving them the opportunity to request a recount, before the results are announced.

Q Is it true that students could vote twice, at their student home here and original home elsewhere in the country, but second home owners here, who pay council tax, can’t? If true is it a concern that this creates unfairness in the voting system?

A No one can vote twice in the same election. For the parliamentary election, anyone with two places of residence must choose from which address they want to cast their vote for their MP.

Votes cannot be made in two different constituencies by the same person and it is a criminal offence to do so.

The situation is different for local elections which are held as separate elections in each local authority.

Anyone with two homes is legally able to vote in local elections in both of the towns or cities where they live.

This applies to second home owners as well as students.

The entitlement to register to vote is based on residence, not the payment of council tax.

Students have been legally able to register to vote at both their term time address and their home address since 1979.

How to add yourself to the register
Anyone who was not automatically transferred to IER needs to take action to be added to the register.
The simple process can be done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote or with help from the council’s electoral services team on 01273 291999.
Applicants will need to give their name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.