Polls open for first ever West Midlands Mayor election
Voters are today heading to the polls to elect the first ever West Midlands Mayor.
Six candidates are vying for the position to oversee the region's combined authority area, which features Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry.
The favourites to win the election are Conservative candidate Andy Street and Labour's West Midlands MEP Siôn Simon.
The other hopefuls are Green Party councillor James Burn, Lib Dem Beverley Nielsen, UKIP's Pete Durnell and Graham Stevenson of the Communist Party.
The West Midlands is among six areas across the country which will elect metro mayors today under the Government’s policy of devolution.
The aim is to shift power and money to the regions over areas including transport, housing and job creation.
Two million people across Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Dudley, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton are eligible to cast a vote, with polling stations across the region open from 7am to 10pm.
Mayors are being elected using the supplementary vote system, meaning voters can select a first choice and, if they wish, a second choice candidate.
If a candidate receives more than 50 per cent of first preference votes they will be elected mayor.
If no candidate has more than 50 per cent, everyone apart from the top two candidates is eliminated.
All first preference votes for the eliminated candidates will then be checked for their second preferences.
Any second preference on these votes for the remaining two candidates will be added to their first preference votes and the person with the most total votes wins.
The result is expected to be declared tomorrow afternoon - stay posted on ExpressandStar.com for live coverage of the count.
