Police and Crime Commissioner election

Police and Crime Commissioners are elected every four years.  The last election was in May 2016 and the next election will be in May 2021 (previously due May 2020 but delayed by one year due to Coronavirus).

To vote in a PCC election you must:

• be registered to vote
• be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’)
• be a British, Commonwealth or EU citizen
• be resident at an address in England or Wales (excluding London)
• not be legally excluded from voting.

PCCs are elected using the Supplementary Vote system. You make a first and second choice when you vote.

If no candidate gets more than 50% of the first choice votes, all except the top two candidates are eliminated. If your first choice candidate is eliminated, and your second choice is for one of the top two, your second choice is counted.

Register to vote

To be able to vote, you must be on the electoral register. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 19 April. It takes just five minutes to apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote

Once registered you can cast your vote by post, in person in a polling station or by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf, which is known as a proxy vote.

Voting by post – The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 20 April.

Voting at a Polling Station – For those who choose to vote in person, arrangements will be in place to help ensure polling stations are COVID-19 safe.  Many of the measures will be familiar to voters, as they have been in place for some months in shops and banks, such as social distancing, use of hand sanitiser and face coverings (unless exempt). Voters can bring their own pencil or pen.

Voting by Proxy (appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf) The deadline for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 27 April.