Elections are being held in Wales on May 5 this year. It is the chance you have to vote for councillors for your county or county borough council, but also, if you live in an area with a community council, you can vote for that too.
Councils run a number of local services from bins to schools, housing, roads and planning. If you want to know more about what councils do and the elections we've made a handy guide.
Voting takes place on polling day, which is on Thursday, May 5 and polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm. This year, there are four areas trialling early voting, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly and Torfaen.
Read more: All you need to know about council elections in Wales
The pilot will allow voting at the elections in certain polling station on the Tuesday and Wednesday before polling day. Wards chosen for the pilot were determined based on turnout rates at the Local Elections in 2017. There are also trials taking place in schools, as in this election people aged 16 and 17 can vote.
In Blaenau Gwent, the Ebbw Vale Learning Zone will be used as an advanced polling station. In Bridgend, polling stations in certain low turnout wards will be open for advanced voting and a polling station will also be created in a school for registered student. Caerphilly council's offices in Ystrad Mynach will be used as will Torfaen council's offices in Pontypool.
But what if you can't attend in person? There are two options if you think, or know, you won't be able to attend.
Postal votes
The deadline to apply for a postal vote for the elections on May 5, 2022 is 5pm on Tuesday, April 19. You must also be registered to vote by 11:59pm on Thursday, April 14.
You can apply for postal vote because you’re away on holiday or because your work schedule means you can't get to polling station. You can also choose to vote by post simply because it would be more convenient for you. You will be a sent a postal vote ballot pack before the election. To apply to vote by post in Wales, England or Scotland, you need to download, print and fill in the postal vote application form.
You can apply for a particular election or referendum, for a specific time period, or for a permanent postal vote and if you have moved house, you'll need to fill in a new form. The application form includes instructions on how to fill it in correctly and once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed it, you need to send it to the electoral services team at your local council.
You can send your form by post. The electoral services team at your local council may also accept a scanned copy of your form by email, but you should check with them first. You must return your postal vote application form by 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.
After the deadline to become a candidate has passed (usually around three weeks before polling day), ballot papers are produced and printed. Yours will then be sent to you, in your postal voting pack. There are full details on the Electoral Commission website.
Proxy votes
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the elections on May 5, 2022 is 5pm on Tuesday, April 19. You must also be registered to vote by 11.59pm on Thursday, April 14.
A proxy vote is when you know that you won’t be able to get to the polling station on polling day, but you ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you. The person voting on your behalf can either go to your polling station to cast your vote, or can apply to vote for you by post.
To apply for a proxy vote, you have to complete a form and give a reason why you can't get to your polling station in person. This may be because you're going to be on holiday, or have a physical condition which means you can't get to your polling station on polling day. You will need to complete a new proxy vote application if you have moved house. There are different forms if it is a one off application or a long-term proxy vote. There are full details on the Electoral Commission website.
Once you have completed the form and made sure you have signed it, you need to send it to the electoral services team at your local council. You can send your form by post. The electoral services team at your local council may also accept a scanned copy of your form by email, but you should check with them first. When applying for a new proxy vote, you must return your proxy vote application form by 5pm, six working days before the poll.
When changing or cancelling an existing proxy, postal or postal proxy vote, you must return your proxy vote application form by 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.
