Poll cards for Watford Borough Council and UK Parliamentary Elections on Thursday, May 7, are being delivered to residents in the town.

The poll cards will include an application form for people who want to vote by post, as well as more information on how they can go about doing this.

They are being delivered to the borough’s registered voters by electoral canvas staff this weekend.

People can register to vote at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote in most cases, but if people's name or nationality has changed they will have to email elections@watford.gov.uk or ring 01923 278369.

Watford Borough Council’s elections manager, Gordon Amos, said: "The important thing is that every decision that’s made - be it the council or the government - affects us all individually.

"People who do not bother to vote should understand that the ones that do are given twice the power because of their non-participation."

About 20 per cent of the Watford electorate now vote by post. This year there will be 250 polling staff during election day, and around 100 counting the votes to secure the result after the poll.

During the last general election in 2010 in Watford there was a 68.55 per cent turn-out of the electorate.