ELECTION staff in Kirklees are gearing up for a massive change.

June's elections in Kirklees will be extra-special.

Not only will voters post their ballot papers rather than visiting a conventional polling station on Thursday, June 10, but every seat in every ward is up for grabs.

Election workers based in Holmfirth are busily preparing factsheets to tell the public exactly what will be happening.

Information about the voting process will be delivered in a couple of weeks, giving the date that people can expect their lengthy ballot papers.

An all-postal election means there will be no polling stations.

The Government hopes all-postal voting will boost electoral participation from about 34% in the last local elections to more than 50%.

There are about 285,000 electors in Kirklees.

Kirklees has been chosen as one of the pilot areas in Yorkshire and the Humber to introduce the postal ballot scheme to assess how successfully the system works.

The completed ballot papers should be sent off by June 8 in pre-paid envelopes.

Kirklees Council's electoral services manager, Susan Hutson, said: "People have got to make sure forms get to the appropriate place by June 10."

However, there will be a handful of delivery points.

People who fail to post their ballot paper in time will be able to hand it in at one of the points in major towns around Kirklees.

Staff will also be on hand for people needing advice about the voting form.

"The points will be for people who didn't want to return it through the post or find they need help," said Mrs Hutson.

In addition, a boundary review has shifted the ward borders.

Under English law, such changes must be followed by an entire re-election of the council.

This will be Kirklees's first all- council election for more than 20 years.

There are 69 seats up for grabs in 23 wards.

And the elections for the European Parliament take place on the same day.

People will receive two ballot papers - one to vote for Kirklees councillors and the other to chose their Euro-MP.

Counting for the Kirklees elections will take place on Friday, June 11.

The European Parliament count will take place on Sunday, June 13, after voting forms from all around Europe have been gathered.