VOTERS in Rugby are going to the the polls today (Thursday) to elect Warwickshire’s next Police and Crime Commissioner.
Liberal Democrat Nicola Davies, Labour candidate Julie Jackson, Conservative representative Philip Seccombe, UKIP candidate Rob Harris and Independents David Whitehouse and Ben Twomey are all vying to replace Ron Ball, who has chosen to step down from the role he first won back in November 2012.
The candidates have spent the last few months campaigning and attending various debates across the district in a bid to convince residents they are the right person for the job.
Polling stations will be open throughout the borough from 7am until 10pm at which point the ballot boxes will go to Benn Hall for verification.
Having been verified, the boxes will then be kept securely overnight before they are taken to the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre in Stoneleigh for the central count on Friday morning (May 6).
The count will kick off around 10.30am with the declaration – depending on turnout – expected anytime from 2pm.
The electorate for Rugby borough is 76,946 and the Supplementary Voting system will be used to elect the Police and Crime Commissioner.
This involves voters marking their first and second choices on the ballot paper.
If a candidate receives more than half of all the first choice votes, they are elected immediately.
If this does not happen, the two candidates with the most first choice votes go through to a second round.
All the other candidates are eliminated but their second choice votes for either of the top two candidates are added to the totals from the first round.
The candidate with the highest combined total of first and second choice votes will be elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire.
