Have your say on polling districts and places

Polling district review - what's happened so far

Between 1 March and 31 March 2019 we asked for feedback on any aspect of polling districts and / or polling places currently used in the county.

We asked for your comments and suggestions on:

• polling places and polling districts where changes might be needed
• the suitability and location of any polling place in the county, including:
  • access
  • suggestions for alternatives

We received your comments and suggestions on any aspect of polling districts and / or polling places currently used in the county. We produced the documents below, which list this feedback for each constituency. In July 2019, we asked for your feedback on these.

• Bishop Auckland polling district review - feedback (PDF, 94.8kb)
• City of Durham polling district review - feedback (PDF, 87.0kb)
• Easington polling district review - feedback (PDF, 66.5kb)
• North Durham polling district review - feedback (PDF, 65.6kb)
• North West Durham polling district review - feedback (PDF, 70.9kb)
• Sedgefield polling district review - feedback (PDF, 83.9kb)

What happens next

We produced a report for the council's Constitution Working Group in November 2019. This group will present this report to Cabinet and Council in December 2019. 

What are polling districts, places and stations?

Polling district

A polling district is a geographical sub-division of electoral area (or ward). We have 63 wards across the county, made up of 462 districts.

Polling place

A polling place is the area or building where a polling station is located.

Polling station

A polling station is where the voting takes place, for example a room (station) within a community centre (place). You can have more than one polling station in a polling place.

How we choose our polling places and stations

When deciding which buildings to use as polling stations, we try to make sure that they are located as conveniently as possible for the majority of people and that they are accessible to everyone, particularly anyone with a disability.

For example, we consider the distance people have to travel to vote and any barriers to them getting there, such as major roads or rivers.