Elections and Referendums

Types of election and referendum

There are five different types of elections:

• parliamentary elections
• Police and Crime Commissioner
• Kent County Council
• borough council
• parish and town council
• by-elections

There are also referendums, which can take place at any time and ask you to vote on a particular question.

Parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections, also known as general elections, usually take place every five years and allow registered voters to elect a Member of Parliament (MP) for their area of Swale, known as a constituency.

There are two constituencies in Swale:

• Sittingbourne and Sheppey
• Faversham and Mid Kent

For more information on general elections, you can visit the GOV.UK website.

Police and Crime Commissioner

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections take place every four years. In Swale, the election leads to the appointment of a Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent.

The next PCC election is due to take place in May 2028.

Kent County Council

Kent County Council (KCC) elections take place every four years. They give registered voters in Swale the opportunity to vote for someone to represent them at the county-level of local government.

The next KCC election is due to take place in May 2025.

Borough Council

Borough Council elections take place every four years. They give registered voters in Swale the opportunity to vote for someone to represent them, known as a Councillor, at the borough-level of local government. Each Councillor represents a specific part of Swale, known as a Ward.

There are 24 wards in Swale (PDF 5.9MB).

The next borough elections take place on 4 May, 2027.

Parish and Town Councils

Parish and Town Council elections take place every four years and allow voters to choose representatives in one of the 36 parish and town councils in Swale.

The next parish and town council elections will take place on 4 May, 2027.

By-elections

A by-election is held if a seat becomes vacant when a Member of Parliament (MP) or a Councillor resigns or passes away. By-elections can happen in any elected institution such as Parliament, county councils, borough councils and parish or town councils.