Polling stations across the North East are open once again today, as voters elect a new police and crime commissioner (PCC).
For many voters living in the Northumbria Police force area - which covers Northumberland and Tyne and Wear - it is the third time they have been asked to go to the polls in less than three months, following local and European Parliament elections in May.
There are four candidates in the running to replace Dame Vera Baird in the top job, after she resigned in June to take up a national post as the new Victims’ Commissioner.
If you haven’t been following the campaign, here is a quick guide to the PCC by-election on polling day.
How can I vote?
Anyone who is registered to vote in the Northumbria Police area - Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland - can cast a ballot.
Polling stations will be open until 10pm tonight.
What will my ballot paper look like?
The voting system used at Police and Crime Commissioner elections is the supplementary voting system. This means voters can indicate both their first and second choice candidates.
Next to the list of candidates there will be two columns.
In column one, voters choose their first choice candidate; in column two, voters choose their second choice candidate.
Voters can choose to mark just one choice, using column one only.
The second choice votes in column two will only be counted if no candidate receives over 50% of the first choice vote.
Who is standing?
There are four hopefuls in contention for the job. They are:
- Kim McGuinness - Labour
- Jonathan Wallace - Liberal Democrat
- Robbie Moore - Conservative
- Georgina Hill - Independent
What does the PCC do?
The PCC does not directly run the police force, that is the job of the chief constable. Instead, their role is to represent the public’s concerns, hold the force to account, and set local policing priorities and the force’s budget.
The roles were introduced in 2012, and Dame Vera has won both previous Northumbria PCC elections for the Labour Party.
When will the results be announced?
Counting of the votes from across the region will be taking place in each local authority area from 10am on Friday.
The results from each area will then be collated by the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) at Sunderland City Council.
The winner will be declared later in the day on Friday from the count centre at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre in Sunderland.
