Candidates announced for election of Suffolk’s next Police and Crime Commissioner

On May 5 the public will have their say on who will become Suffolk’s next Police and Crime Commissioner.

Nominations are now closed for the elections with Terence Carter for the Green Party, Helen Korfanty for Liberal Democrats, Tim Passmore for the Conservatives, Cath Pickles for Labour and Simon Tobin for UKIP in the running for the important job.

Voters are being reminded to make sure they are ready to take part in the elections, now less than a month away.

The Police and Crime Commissioner election uses a different voting system to the usual ‘first past the post system’, using the supplementary votes system instead.

The electorate will be asked to make a first choice and a second choice of who they want to get the job.

There will be two columns on the ballot paper with voters asked to put a cross against their first preference in the first column and their second choice in the second. The first and second must be different.

The ballot papers will the be collected from around Suffolk and counted and if one candidate receives more than half the first choice votes - they will be elected.

If no candidate meets this mark, the top two will go forward to the next stage, where second choice votes will be counted. The candidate with the most votes at the end of the second count will take office.

Stephen Baker, Suffolk Police Area Returning Officer, said: “With the elections fast approaching , we want to make sure that everyone knows how to cast their vote with confidence on May 5. Anyone looking for information will be able to find the answer to their questions at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk, and they can get in touch with out customer services team at Suffolk Coastal if they have any further queries about the PCC elections.”

Ben Brook, Head of the Electoral Commission, English regions, said: “There are elections taking place all over England on May 5, so wherever people live its important that everybody knows how to take part and have their say on issues in their local area.

“A lot of people don’t know what to expect on polling day, especially if they haven;t voted before, but with so much information available online and through your local Electoral Services Team, we hope everyone will be able to feel confident about casting their vote in May.”