A bumper crop of elections will be held across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday 6 May.
9 April 2021
A bumper crop of elections will be held across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday 6 May.
About 48 million people can vote to elect almost 5,000 to positions of power.
Scotland and Wales parliamentary elections
Members of two of the UK's parliaments - Holyrood in Scotland and the Senedd in Wales - will be chosen by voters in those nations.
These parliaments make decisions in key areas, including:
- health
- housing
- education
Local elections
There will also be voting in 143 local council authorities in England, with about 4,650 council seats up for grabs.
Councillors are in charge of many services - from bin collections to social care, sports facilities and libraries.
London
Londoners will elect 25 members of the London Assembly - and a mayor.
The London mayor decides how much money to spend and priorities in some key areas.
For example, the mayor can set bus and Tube fares and decide targets for the number of affordable homes.
London Assembly Members examine the mayor's decisions.
Mayors
There will also be mayoral elections in:
- Bristol
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- Doncaster
- Greater Manchester
- Liverpool
- Liverpool City Region
- North Tyneside
- Salford
- Tees Valley
- West Midlands
- West of England
- West Yorkshire
Police and crime commissioners
There will be elections in England and Wales for police and crime commissioners.
They set the budget and priorities for police in their area.
MPs
There will also be a by-election to pick who represents Hartlepool in the Westminster Parliament after the previous MP resigned.
Who can I vote for in my area?
Enter your postcode, or the name of your English council or Scottish or Welsh constituency to find out. Eg 'W1A 1AA' or 'Westminster'
What's at stake?
Coronavirus is the most important issue to voters, according to a survey by the University of Essex.
But there are many other issues:
- In Scotland, the question of independence is expected to play a big part, as the SNP seeks to hold another referendum
- In Wales, Labour, in power since 1999, is facing a challenge from the Conservatives
- In local elections, council tax could be a big issue as local authorities look to repair their finances
- Mayors and police crime commissioners are relatively new and turnout could show how interested voters are
Who can vote?
To vote in the Holyrood and Senedd elections you must be 16 or over on the day of the election.
Voters in other elections must be over 18.
All voters must be:
- registered at an address in the area where they want to vote
- a British citizen, an EU citizen or an eligible Commonwealth citizen.
People from another country legally living in Scotland and Wales can vote.
How do I vote and when do I need to register?
There are three ways to vote:
- in person at a polling station (often in places such as schools and community centres)
- by postal vote
- by nominating someone to vote for you (a proxy vote)
The deadline to register to vote is Monday 19 April.
The deadline to register for a postal vote is:
- 17:00 on 20 April in England and Wales
- 17:00 on 6 April in Scotland
The deadline to register for a proxy vote is 17:00 on 27 April.
You can register to vote online.
How will coronavirus affect voting?
Polling stations need to make voting Covid-secure.
Social distancing will be in place.
Voters are encouraged to bring their own pens or pencils - and those who have been shielding to vote by post.
But an all-postal ballot has been ruled out as too difficult to organise.
Because of social distancing, counting votes is expected to take longer and could go into the weekend.
How are the winners chosen?
Scotland, Wales and London Assembly
- People have two votes - one to choose who represents the constituency, and one to choose which party represents their wider region
Mayors and police and crime commissioners
- Voters select a first and second preference - if no candidate receives 50% of first-preference choices, the top two go into a run-off
- The second preferences of voters whose favoured candidates have been eliminated are then taken into account
English councils
- Voters have one vote for each available seat in their area (a ward or division)
- In most cases, that means one vote - but large wards may have multiple seats
- Whoever receives the most votes wins the seat
- If one party wins more than half the council seats, they have control of the council
- If no party has a majority, parties will often join forces (known as a coalition)
Related Topics
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56286643
Excerpts from: Register To Vote
The deadline to register to vote in the elections on 6 May 2021 is midnight on Monday 19 April.
Got 5? Kettle image
How to register to vote
Registering to vote online is the easiest and quickest way.
It only takes five minutes, and all you need is your national insurance number.
If you're unable to register online, you can apply by post. Download a form for:
You only need to register once, unless you change your address, name or nationality.
If you do change address, name or nationality, you need to register to vote again.
Registering to vote online in Northern Ireland
Registering to vote online in Northern Ireland
If you're registering to vote online in Northern Ireland, you will be given a Digital Registration Number (or 'DRN') when your application is approved.
Keep this number somewhere safe, as you will need to provide it if you apply for a postal or proxy vote.
You can request a reminder if you lose it.
Contact the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland to find out more.
Check if you can register to vote
Who can register to vote
To register to vote, you must be:
- a UK or Irish citizen
- a qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK
- an EU citizen living in the UK
- a qualifying foreign citizen in Wales or Scotland
You have to be a certain age to register to vote.
| Country | Age you need to be to register |
|---|---|
| England | 16 or older |
| Scotland | 14 or older |
| Wales | 14 or older |
| Northern Ireland | 17 or older (or will be 17 by 30 November) |
You can't vote until you're 18 years old. However, if you live in Scotland or Wales, you can vote in some elections from 16 years old. Find out which elections you can vote in
Eligible countries
The definition of a 'Commonwealth' citizen includes citizens of British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories. A 'qualifying' Commonwealth citizen is someone who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who doesn't require that leave.
| Commonwealth countries | ||
|---|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Australia | The Bahamas |
| Bangladesh | Barbados | Belize |
| Botswana | Brunei Darussalam | Cameroon |
| Canada | Cyprus1 | Dominica |
| Fiji Islands2 | Ghana | Grenada |
| Guyana | India | Jamaica |
| Kenya | Kiribati | Lesotho |
| Malawi | Malaysia | Malta1 |
| Mauritius | Mozambique | Namibia |
| Nauru | New Zealand | Nigeria |
| Pakistan | Papua New Guinea | Rwanda |
| St Kitts & Nevis | St Lucia | St Vincent & The Grenadines |
| Samoa | Seychelles | Sierra Leone |
| Singapore | Solomon Islands | South Africa |
| Sri Lanka | Swaziland | The Gambia |
| Tonga | Trinidad and Tobago | Tuvalu |
| Uganda | United Republic of Tanzania | Vanuatu |
| Zambia | Zimbabwe2 | |
This table doesn't include the UK.
| British crown dependencies |
|---|
| Isle of Man |
| The Channel Islands (including Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney, Herm and the other inhabited Channel Islands) |
| British overseas territories | ||
|---|---|---|
| Anguilla | Bermuda | British Antarctic Territory |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands |
| Falkland Islands | Gibraltar | Monserrat |
| Pitcairn Island | St Helena and dependencies (Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
| Sovereign base areas on Cyprus | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Hong Kong |
|---|
| Former residents of Hong Kong who hold a British Overseas Territories, British Nationals (Overseas) or British Overseas passport qualify for registration. |
A qualifying foreign citizen is a citizen of another country who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need such permission.
