New Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire

In November this year, police authorities will be replaced by a directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).  This means there will be one directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner for the whole of Warwickshire.

The elections will take place on 15 November 2012 using the supplementary vote system*.  The Commissioner will take on the majority of Police Authority functions, including hiring the Chief Constable, setting the council tax precept for the police area, setting a Police and Crime Plan, and monitoring performance against it.

A pink booklet on the PCC elections from the Electoral Commission will be delivered to all households in October.

Further information on the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Election is available at the www.warwickshirepcc.info website and on Twitter @warkspccelects

The registration deadline for the PCC elections is 31 October.  The deadline for amendments to existing absent votes or new postal votes is 5pm on 31 October.  The deadline for new proxy votes is 5pm on 7 November.

For further information or advice please contact the Elections team at Stratford-on-Avon District Council on 01789 260208.

*The Supplementary Vote (SV) is a shortened version of the Alternative Vote (AV). Under SV, there are two columns on the ballot paper – one for voters to mark their first choice and one in which to mark a second choice. Voters mark one 'X' in each column, although voters are not required to make a second choice if they do not wish to.

All the first choices are then counted, and if a candidate has a 50% + 1 vote majority, they are elected. If no candidate receives this majority, the top two candidates continue to a second round and all other candidates are eliminated. The second-choice votes of everyone whose first choice has been eliminated are then counted.

Any votes for the two remaining candidates are then added to their first-round totals. Whichever candidate has the most votes after these second-preferences have been allocated is declared the winner.

The Supplementary Vote is used in all directly elected English mayors.