Elect a Mayor this May
Guess what… it’s time to vote again!
But this time in a local election, the WECA Mayoral Election is happening on 1 May and we should care about it!
Firstly, voting registration closes on Friday 11 April; it takes two minutes and is super important!
Not only so that you can vote in this election, but it also students are a big part of the electorate in Bristol and have the power to influence the priorities of local politics. But to do this, students need to register to vote and then exercise their right to vote!
Why should I care about this one?
Well…
Do you get angry that the bus seems to never come on time? Struggled to find affordable housing? Or maybe you are frustrated by changes happening here in Bristol?
These aren’t just everyday annoyances! They're big issues that affect students, and there's someone who is responsible for tackling them: the next Mayor of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).
WECA oversees the areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) and South Gloucestershire and it is tasked with improving public transport, training and job opportunities, and supporting businesses. It also oversees the region's housing plans.
The candidates who have so far declared they are standing in the election, in alphabetical order:
- Arron Banks, Reform
- Helen Godwin, Labour
- Oli Henman, Liberal Democrats
- Mary Page, Green Party
- Ian Scott, Independent
- Steve Smith, Conservative and Unionist Party
⚠️ Remember: Register to Vote, get informed and cast your vote on May 1.
We will be publishing an article with the coming days which outlines the candidates plans to help support students! In the meantime, this article from the BBC gives an outline of what each candidate is standing for.
The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Friday 11 April, while the deadline to apply for a postal vote is 17:00 BST on Monday 14 April.
We also have this dedicated page for registering to vote including a series of FAQ's!
