What are elections?
Elections are a democratic process where citizens aged 18 and over
elect political candidates to represent them and their interests
locally, nationally or internationally. The process is determined
by a voting system, where citizens vote for one candidate. The
candidate with the majority of votes is elected. Anyone who is
enrolled on the Electoral Register is able to vote.
There are three different types of election:
Local Government Elections: West Lancashire has 25
wards and 54 councillors and 21 Parish Councils. Councillors are
elected by a simple majority and serve for four years. Council
elections are held for 3 years in every 4. Lancashire County
Council Elections are held in the fourth year, which is expected to
be on Thursday 6 May 2010. The next District
Council elections will be held on Thursday 1 May 2008
and, if contested, there may also be Parish Council elections on
the same day. Casual vacancies can sometimes occur due
to factors such as retirement, illness or death.
Parliamentary Elections: A government serves for a
maximum of five years before dissolving. The next United Kingdom
Parliamentary election must be held by June 2010. However, the
government may call a parliamentary (or 'general') election at any
time during the five-year period. By-elections may occur due to
factors such as retirement, illness or death.
The West Lancashire District is served by the West Lancashire
Parliamentary constituency. The wards of Rufford, Tarleton,
Hesketh-with-Becconsall and North Meols form part of South Ribble
Parliamentary constituency. Each constituency returns one MP on a
simple majority.
To find out more about more about Parliamentary elections visit the
Electoral Commission
(external link) website.
European Parliamentary Elections: The European
Parliament serves for a fixed term of five years. Election dates
are set by the European Parliament and will take place on 4 June
2009. The last elections were held on 10 June 2004 - all
voting took place by post. The North West region is
represented by 9 MEPs (Member of European Parliament) who are
elected by proportional representation.
To find out more about European Parliament elections visit
European
Parliament (external link) website.