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Vote at your local polling station

Here’s everything you need to know if you wish to cast your ballot at a polling station at the elections on Thursday 6 May 2021.

Poll cards

Your official poll card contains details of when and where you will need to go to vote.  You can also find this information via our Postcode search.

Please remember to check to make sure that you will be going to the correct polling station – it may be in a different building to the one you have used for previous elections.

Depending on when you register to vote, we will send your poll card to you from about a month before election day. They will be delivered by the Royal Mail to the address at which you are registered.

For the May 2021 elections, registered voters will receive either one or two poll cards, depending on which ballots they are eligible to take part in:

  1. Poll card 1 – all voters – will receive one poll card covering both the Police and Crime Commissioner election and the Oxfordshire County Council election
  2. Poll card 2 – voters in specific locations only – will receive an additional poll card for a local by-election and/or a neighbourhood plan referendum.

Here’s how we will be sending the poll cards out for this election:

Stage one (from 29 March)

  • poll card 1 – will go out to all those who are registered to vote by 11 March.

Stage two (from 2 April):

  • poll card 1 – will go out to all those who register between 11 March and 30 March.
  • poll card 2 – will out to all eligible voters who register by 30 March

Stage three (from 20 April):

  • polls cards 1 and 2 – will go out to all remain voters who register by the deadline on 19 April.

Polling day

On Thursday 6 May, polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm.

Please remember to check to make sure that you will be going to the correct polling station – it may be in a different building to the one you have used for previous elections.

You do not need to bring your poll card with you to cast your ballot, however it may speed things up if you do.

Our friendly poll clerks at your polling station will explain what to do if you’ve never voted before.

Remember to read your ballot paper carefully as you may be able to vote for more than one person.

Keeping our polling stations Covid-safe

On 6 May all our polling stations will have measures in place to help ensure the area remains safe from Covid-19.   This will include:

  • socially distanced queuing and queue marshals in some polling stations;
  • perspex screens between you and our staff;
  • staff will wear a face covering;
  • hand sanitisers available at the entrance.  

To help keep yourself and others safe at the polling station, you must:

  • wear a face covering (unless you are exempt for medical reason)
  • bring your own pen or pencil to use when casting your ballot
  • sanitise your hands when entering and leaving the polling station
  • keep a safe distance from other people.

If you would feel uncomfortable voting in person there are different ways you can cast your vote – by post, or by appointing someone you trust to do this on your behalf, which is known as a proxy vote. 

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