Elections 2021 - our rising concern

Earlier this week the Government announced that the elections will go ahead on Thursday 6th May. 

They believe that they can be held in a COVID secure way and have provided some extra support for Councils to do so. 

But we are far from convinced and so are our supporters and members according to a survey we conducted this week.

Our snapshot survey showed that 69% of respondents felt that the elections should be postponed. The top two reasons for delaying the elections were COVID safety fears (42%) and the current ban on in-person campaigning (28%).

The latter issue is particularly tough for Independent candidates and smaller parties. This week the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Independent Group at the Local Government Association all raised concerns as to whether there can be a level playing field in these elections.

There is real doubt about whether these elections can be free and fair.

It’s not a free and fair election if voters don’t feel safe in casting their ballots.

It’s not a free and fair election if parties are not allowed to campaign.

The government’s failure to learn from the recent US elections, held during the pandemic, is disappointing. Measures such as all-postal voting, early voting and even drive-through voting were all rejected by our Government. 

It was especially sad to see the Government raising baseless fears bout fraud and postal voting - echoing what we’ve heard from Trump supporters over the last year. 

The headline of the government plan was that voters should bring their own pen.

This isn’t a government that is taking democracy seriously. While it’s completely understandable that the May 2020 elections were postponed, given how early that was during the pandemic, there’s no excuse this time.

The Government has had a year to prepare and they’ve failed. 

Unlock Democracy will continue to press for more action to ensure a free and fair election can be held on 6th May. Failing that, there should be a short delay so elections can be held safely once more people have been vaccinated. 

In the meantime, we urge everyone to make sure their voice can be heard safely on 6th May. For more information on voter registration and postal voting (anyone can request one), you can visit our new Vote 2021 page by clicking the link below.