This year, for the first time, voters in England (outside London) and Wales will elect a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for their local police force area. On 15 November, you will decide which candidate is successful for Surrey. However, if you haven’t registered to vote then your views will not be counted.
What does the PCC do?
The Police and Crime Commissioner will be responsible for overseeing how crime is tackled across Surrey. They will be responsible for policing and community safety across the county including making sure the policing needs in our borough are met, forming stronger relationships between communities and the police and holding our police accountable.
Who is standing?
In Surrey, there are six candidates standing. Read more about what each candidate stands for on the Choose my PCC website or call 08001 07 07 08.
What do I need to do?
Time is running out – you must have registered to vote by Wednesday 31 October or your views will not be counted.
If you’re already registered, there are lots of ways you can vote.
One option is to simply pop down to your polling station. If you’re registered you should have received your poll card with details of your local polling station.
Alternatively, you can send in your vote by post. The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 31 October. Or, you can nominate someone to vote on your behalf (a proxy), particularly useful if you’re away on 15 November or have difficulty getting to your polling station. The deadline for a proxy vote is 5pm on 7 November 2012.
This election will use the supplementary vote system – a change from first past the post as we’re used to in general elections. There will be one set of candidates for the Police and Crime Commissioner across the whole of Surrey. All voters can make a first and second choice (their supplementary vote) from the list to decide who will oversee how crime is tackled in Surrey. There’s more information about how this voting system works on the Electoral Commission’s website.
What’s next?
Surrey’s first Police and Crime Commissioner will be announced in Guildford on Friday 16 November. For more information about making sure you’re registered as well as information about the PCC election, have a look on our website.
