Published: Wednesday 30 March 2022
With local elections taking place on 5 May 2022, it’s important to register to vote as soon as possible. You've got until 11:59pm on Thursday 14 April to register to vote in person.
We spoke to local resident Anne, who told us why she wouldn’t dream of missing out on registering to vote…
How easy is it to register to vote?
“It’s so easy! The simplest way is on gov.uk – it takes about two minutes and the only information that some people might not remember is their National Insurance number. However, it’s not compulsory, so if you can’t find it you can register without it and you’ll just be asked for additional proof later on.”
How important is it to register to vote?
“Personally, I think it’s very important. I don’t take for granted the fact that we live in a democracy and have the right to vote. In many countries, democratic rights are stifled or limited, and as a woman I do think about the fact that 100 years ago people threw themselves to their deaths for their right to vote. Also, a lot of people don’t realise that their credit ratings are affected if they don’t register to vote. This is all apart from the fact that it’s a legal requirement to register and you could get a fine if you don’t.”
What impact do you think your vote has on our community?
“If an election is a close-run contest, your vote can be the final decider. You can never underestimate the importance of your vote, particularly at a local level – it really can make a difference. Also, we can’t complain about the people making the decisions if we don’t exercise our right to vote. If we want to get our voice heard, we need to participate!”
Local elections will take place on 5 May 2022. To make sure you don’t miss out on making a difference in your community, register to vote.
Although it is a legal requirement to register, it’s not an obligation to vote. Visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote for more information.
Visit our Local Election 2022 page for more details about elections in Kensington and Chelsea.