On Thursday 2 May 2024 you will be able to vote in the election for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley.
The Police and Crime Commissioner is the elected representative who oversees how crime is tackled in a police force area. Their aim is to cut crime and to ensure the police force is effective. They are elected for a four-year term.
Information for voters:
Key deadlines for this election
- You must be registered to vote by – midnight on Tuesday 16 April 2024
- Postal vote and postal proxy vote applications – 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024
- Changes to existing postal and proxy vote arrangements – 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024
- Voter Authority Certificate (voter ID) applications – 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024
- New proxy vote applications – 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024
To vote in this election you must:
- be registered to vote
- be 18 or over on the day of the election
- be a British, Irish, Commonwealth or EU citizen
- be registered at an address in the area you want to vote in
- not be legally excluded from voting
Register to vote
To vote in this election, you need to be registered at your current address by Tuesday 16 April – please click here to register to vote online
If you are already registered to vote at your current address, you do not need to register again.
If you are not sure whether you are registered, you can check by contacting our Electoral Services team using the details at the bottom of this page.
Who can you vote for?
Details of who you can vote for in this election will be confirmed on Monday 8 April.
From 10 April, you will be able to find more information about the candidates on the Choose My PCC website.
How you can vote:
Vote at a polling station
You can vote at your designated polling station on Thursday 2 May between 7am and 10pm.
If you are registered to vote, you should receive a poll card a few weeks before the election which will tell you where you need to go to cast your ballot. You can also find your polling station by entering your postcode on the Where do I vote website.
- To vote at a polling station you must bring photo ID with you – a wide range of photo ID will be accepted, including passports, driving licences and cards with a PASS Mark – you can see the full list of accepted ID on the Electoral Commission website.
- If you don’t have the accepted photo ID – click here to apply NOW for a free voter ID document known as a Voter Authority Certificate on the Electoral Commission website. The deadline for applications for this election is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.
- Please help friends and family members who may not have access to the internet or who may struggle to upload a photo for their ID application.
To find out more about voting a polling station, please see our vote at your local polling station page.
Vote by post
If you are unable to get to your polling station on election day, you can instead apply to vote by post.
Please click here to apply online to vote by post – applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024.
- You should return your completed postal pack using a Royal Mail post box as soon as possible.
- We must receive your completed postal voting pack by 10pm on Thursday 2 May, otherwise your vote will not count.
- If you applied for a postal vote – you should receive your postal ballot pack by 26 April. Anybody expecting a postal ballot who doesn’t receive it by this date should call 01235 422528 to request a replacement. Please note, we are not able to issue replacements before 26 April so please do not call before then.
- If you miss the post, you can hand it in at our Abbey House council office in Abingdon (during office hours only) or at a polling station on election day until 10pm – please note, the person handing it in is now required to complete further documentation. Your postal vote will be rejected if it’s not received correctly – please DO NOT leave it in any council office post box or unattended reception point.
Please note, several new rules have recently been introduced for postal voting, including new re-application requirements – for more information, please visit our page on voting by post.
Vote by proxy
Alternatively, you can apply to allow someone you trust to vote on your behalf – this is known as a proxy vote.
Please click here to apply online for a proxy vote – applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024
- if you vote by proxy, your nominated proxy will need to go to your local polling station and take their own photo ID. If they do not have photo ID, they can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.
For more information, visit our page on proxy voting.
Are you voting for the first time?
If this is the time you will be voting, please look at our first-time voter’s guide. This contains lots of useful information on how elections work, how you can vote and what happens on election day.
Counting the votes and declaring the results
The votes in this election will be counted across Thames Valley on Saturday 4 May 2024.
The results for will be officially declared in West Berkshire by the Chief Executive of West Berkshire Council who has been appointed as the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) for this election. They will then be published on the official Thames Valley Police Area Returning Officer webpage provided by West Berkshire Council and made available on this page, including a summary of local results in the Vale of White Horse.
Information for candidates and agents
West Berkshire Council is responsible for the nominations process for this election. Please contact the West Berkshire Electoral Services Team for further information.
Election notices
Once available, we will provide links here to the official election notices which will be hosted on the Thames Valley Police Area Returning Officer webpage provided by West Berkshire Council
Contact us – Electoral services
01235 422528
(Text phone users add 18001 before dialing)