Elections 6 May 2021

Swale Borough Council is preparing to oversee the elections taking place on May 6, 2021.

The Government delayed some elections scheduled to take place last year due to the pandemic but have confirmed they will take place in May this year.

Swale is responsible for administering elections in the borough and has been working on plans to ensure the elections can take place safely.

The elections taking place in the borough are:

• Kent County Council – there are six electoral divisions for county council elections in the borough, which will return seven county councillors. For more information, visit the Kent County Council website, where you can also view public notices about the election.
• Kent Police and Crime Commissioner – the person responsible for overseeing how crime is tackled across the county. For more information, visit the Kent Police & Crime Commissioner website or call 0808 196 2170.
• Swale Borough Council by-election: Sheerness Ward
• Warden Parish Council by-election
• Faversham Town Council by-elections:
  • Abbey Ward
  • Priory Ward
  • Watling Ward

To vote in elections in your areas, you need to be on the electoral register and Swale wrote to 62,850 homes last month to remind people to check their details were correct.

If you’ve recently moved house you may not be on the register, but you can easily register by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

The deadline for registering to vote is midnight on Monday, 19 April. You do not need to re-apply if you are already on the register - if you're unsure, call the helpline on 01795 417 316.

The recent postcard mailing to households also included advice about safe voting during the pandemic and encouraged anyone concerned to register for a postal or proxy vote.

The deadline to apply to vote by post, is 5pm on Tuesday, 20 April, and the deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday, 27 April.

For more information visit www.swale.gov.uk/elections.