VOTERS have just three weeks to make up their minds what to do in next month's European elections.

And those who make the trip to the polling booth on Thursday June 10 will find that it's all change.

For the first time in England, the result is to be decided by a form of proportional representation instead of "first past the post", designed to make the outcome more accurately reflect the votes that each party gets.

And you won't be voting for an individual candidate, but for a party.

The current European constituencies are being abolished in favour of regional seats: there are ten up for grabs in the North West.

MEPs are elected on a party list system. When the votes are counted for the first time, whichever party gets the most votes across the region gets an MEP elected, the one at the top of its list of ten candidates.

The winning party's score is then reduced and the votes counted again, and a second MEP chosen. This goes on until all ten regional seats have been allocated. All told, local voters will be faced with a choice of 13 boxes in which to place their cross.

Apart from the "big three" of Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat, there is also the British National Party, Green Party, Liberal Party, Natural Law Party, Pro-Euro Conservative Party, Socialist Labour Party, and the UK Independence Party.

Eight candidates are being fielded by Weekly Worker, while there are two outright independents: David Braid, under the name Anti-Corruption Pro-Family Christian Alliance; and Douglas Flood, for the English Independent Humanist Party.

There are several names which will be known to local voters. Gary Titley, current MEP for Greater Manchester West, is number two on Labour's list. His Tory opponent at the last Euro elections, David Newns of Hollins Close, Bury is number six on the Conservative list. Higher up, at number three, is former Bury South MP David Sumberg.

And Alec McFadden, former development officer at Bury Unemployed Workers Centre, is standing for Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party. Despite the apathy shown in recent local elections, politicians are anxious that people make the effort to vote.

They point out that the PR system of voting means that every vote counts, even in areas previously seen as safe seats for one party or another.

And keen advocates of democracy point out that the European Parliament, which comes up for election once every five years, is the only one of the three Euro institutions to be directly elected by the people: the Commission and the Council of Ministers are appointed by member Governments.

POLLING booths are open from 7am to 10pm on June 10. The votes will not be counted until three days later: Sunday is the day that most other European countries go to the polls.

ANYONE who wants a postal or proxy vote should move fast - the deadline is 5pm next Tuesday (May 25).

Contact the council's elections office for an application form.

POLLING cards for the Euro election are being sent out to households early next week. It is not essential to take them with you when you vote, although it will help staff at the polling stations.

NEW billboards urging people to vote are going up across the borough this week, replacing the signs used in the local elections.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.