VOTERS up and down the country will head to the polls next week for the first bumper crop of elections since the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Many contests are set to take place on May 6, dubbed “Super Thursday”, including some that were postponed from last year because of Covid-19.

In Wales, voters will be choosing a new parliament, while residents will also decide who they want to take up the post of Police and Crime Commissioner for their local force.

With the voter registration deadline looming, we've taken a look at what voter turnout was like across Gwent five years ago.

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Blaenau Gwent

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 50,600
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 42.1 per cent (21,300)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 6,500
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 122
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 19,700
  • Turnout in PCC election: 38.9 per cent

Caerphilly

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 62,400
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 43.4 per cent (27,100)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 7,500
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 101
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 25,600
  • Turnout in PCC election: 41 per cent

Islwyn

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 54,500
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 41 per cent (22,300)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 6,100
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 135
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 20,800
  • Turnout in PCC election: 38.2 per cent

Monmouth:

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 64,200
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 48.9 per cent (31,400)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 7,300
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 219
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 29,000
  • Turnout in PCC election: 45.2 per cent

Newport East

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 55,800
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 37.1 per cent (20,700)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 5,800
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 141
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 19,300
  • Turnout in PCC election: 34.6 per cent

Newport West

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 62,200
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 44.6 per cent (27,800)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 8,100
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 145
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 25,900
  • Turnout in PCC election: 41.6 per cent

Torfaen

  • Number of people eligible to vote in 2016: 60,200
  • Turnout in Senedd Election: 38.1 per cent (23,000)
  • Number of postal votes cast in Senedd Election: 7,800
  • Number of rejected or spoiled ballots in Senedd Election: 133
  • Number who voted in the PCC election: 21,500
  • Turnout in PCC election: 35.7 per cent

The turnout across Wales as a whole in the 2016 Senedd Election was 45.4 per cent - every area of Gwent except Monmouth was below this.

Elsewhere in Britain, Scottish voters will also be choosing a new parliament, while people in England will be voting for a mixture of councillors, mayors and police commissioners.

The scale of Super Thursday means that every voter will be able to take part in at least one type of poll, making it the biggest event of its kind outside a general election.

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: "This May, voters across Great Britain will be going to the polls to vote and choose the people that make decisions which can impact their day to day lives.

"There are several ways for people to vote – you can choose to vote at a polling station, by post, or by appointing someone you trust to vote as a proxy on your behalf."

A YouGov survey carried out on behalf of the Electoral Commission in February found that the majority of voters would feel safe attending a polling station despite current public health challenges.

However, it added that absent voting is likely to play an important role in delivering elections during the pandemic, with 19 per cent of people surveyed in Wales who normally vote in person saying they intend to vote by post this year.

Anyone wanting to have their say must be registered to vote by midnight on Monday, April 19, while 5pm on April 20 is the final deadline for postal vote applications.