Local elections

County council election

The West Sussex County Council election is taking place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

The process will elect 70 county councillors to represent local areas (called divisions) of around 12,000 residents each.

Further details of people standing for elections can be found here.

Elected councillors take policy and spending decisions and are accountable to residents.

In the last elections in 2021 over 240,000 people in West Sussex voted for their local county councillor.

See more on the current political make-up of the council and learn more about how the council operates on our county council structure webpage.

You can find out more about the election process, results of previous elections, and how to register to vote on our elections webpages: Elections - West Sussex County Council.

Read more about plans for changes to local government across England, including plans to create a combined authority for Sussex and, separate but related plans for re-organising local authorities.

Register to vote

All voters must be registered and 18 years of age or older.  

If you’ve changed address or moved home since you last registered, you will need to update your details online. Checking now helps make sure you can vote in a way that’s right for you. 

  • you can no longer register to vote in the elections on 7 May 2026 (closed 20 April 2026)

Find out more at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Once registered, you have a range of options – vote in person at a polling station, by post, or by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf, known as a proxy vote.

Anonymous voting

If someone feels that their name and address being on the electoral register could affect their safety, or the safety of someone in their household, they may be able to register to vote anonymously - this may be beneficial to people who are victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

  • you can no longer register to vote anonymously in the elections on 7 May (closed 28 April 2026)

To find out whether this may apply to you, or someone you know, The Electoral Commission has information and a guide available on their website.

Voter ID

You need to show photo identification (ID) to vote at a polling station.

You can use any of the following:

  • Passport
  • Driving licence (including provisional licence)
  • Blue badge
  • Certain concessionary travel cards
  • Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
  • Biometric Immigration document including eVisas
  • Defence identity card
  • HM Armed Forces Veteran Card
  • Certain national identity cards

You will need to show one form of photo ID, it needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. The name on your ID must be the same name you used to register to vote.

Most people already have valid photo ID and won’t need to take any action. If you don’t already have an accepted form of photo ID, or you’re not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

For help with applying for a Voter Authority Certificate or to request an application form, contact your local district or borough council. Find their contact details by entering your postcode in the Electoral Commission’s search.

For more information, including the full list of accepted forms of photo ID, visit the Electoral Commission website or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.

Key dates

  • 30 March 2026 – notices of election were published here
  • 10 April 2026 – nominations of candidates were published here
  • 7 May 2026 – election will take place
  • 8 May 2026 – votes will be counted and results announced

Results

We will publish the results for each county council electoral division here on Friday 8 May 2026.

On these pages we will give:

  • the results of each division in the county
  • details of the overall results
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