Where can I vote on 2 May? Ashford Borough Council unveils online polling station finder ahead of local elections

Not sure where to vote in the borough and parish council elections on Thursday 2 May? Lost your polling card or perhaps you have moved home since the last election, or you live in one of the Ashford wards where boundaries have been redrawn.

A polling station finder is now available on the Ashford Borough Council website, allowing people to locate their designated polling station just by using their postcode. Find your nearest polling station at:

https://www.ashford.gov.uk/councillors-meetings-and-elections/elections-and-electoral-registration/where-can-i-vote/

The deadline is looming for people to register to vote in borough and parish elections on 2 May. To be able to vote you must be registered; if you are not already registered then you must register to vote no later than Friday 12 April.

To register visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote today.

Other key deadlines coming up include:

• 5pm Monday 15 April – the deadline for receipt of postal vote applications
• 5pm Wednesday 24 April – the deadline for receipt of proxy vote applications

Download application forms for postal and proxy votes from www.yourvotematters.co.uk

Some residents will notice changes on polling day, with some voting for one borough councillor instead of the usual two and vice versa. Some will be voting in new borough wards and at a different polling station.

For many, their arrangements may be unchanged from previous borough and parish council elections. For others, the trip to the ballot box in May, and in all future elections to Ashford Borough Council, is changing following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission.

Ashford is the only district in Kent where councillor numbers are increasing, reflecting rapid population growth – according to forecasts in the new Local Plan, our population is expected to soar from 127,500 in 2017 to around 150,000 by 2030.

Ward boundaries have been redrawn, meaning some streets now fall into other wards and so some people will need to attend different polling stations.

To find out more visit:

www.ashford.gov.uk/councillors-meetings-and-elections/elections-and-electoral-registration/elections/

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