Council urges residents to register to vote ahead of 2021 elections

Horsham District Council is encouraging as many residents as possible to take part in the West Sussex County Council and Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday 6 May 2021.

In order to vote in the elections residents must make sure that that they are registered to vote by Monday 19 April. Anyone already registered to vote will receive their poll card in early April. If you are not registered, you cannot vote and your credit rating may be affected.

Commenting on the upcoming elections, Returning Officer Glen Chipp said:

On 6 May the Horsham District will vote to elect County councillors and the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner to represent residents within the Horsham District.

It is important that as many of our District’s residents as possible understand the need to register to vote if they haven’t already done so. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to have your say.

If anyone has recently moved to the District or has just turned 18, there is still time to get on to the electoral register in time for the election.

Registering is quick and easy and can be done online on the Government website at any time.

If you are unable to register online, a paper form can be requested by contacting the council’s Electoral Services team.

Elections for the following will also take place on 6 May:

Neighbourhood Planning Referendums for Ashington,Billingshurst,Bramber,Henfield Parish,Rudgwick,Rusper Parish,Shipley Parish,Southwater,Upper Beeding Parish and West Grinstead.

There will also be a District Council Trafalgar Ward By-election and a Steyning Parish Council By-election on this date.

Electors who are unable to vote at the polling station can apply for a postal vote or appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf. The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 20 April. The deadline for appointing a proxy is 5pm on Tuesday 27 April. Both forms are available on the Horsham District Council website or can be requested from the Electoral Services team.

Ahead of the May elections, our team are working exceptionally hard to make sure that all polling stations are COVID compliant and safe for voters. This may mean that your polling station for these elections has changed. We will be sending your poll card with all the details that you need as soon as we can, so please look out for it.

If your polling station has changed from your normal venue we apologise for this inconvenience, but we have carried out risk assessments and have chosen the venues that we feel work best for these elections.

Find out how we are making polling stations safe.

To find out how to register or find out more about voting in the election ,visit our Elections webpages, email elections@horsham.gov.uk , or call  our Electoral Services team on 01403 215126.