AS election campaigns go it’s not been the smoothest or easiest for our local politicians.

It’s a hard enough task at the best of times getting the British public interested in local government and how their taxes are being spent.

But in the run up to this year’s local council elections politicians vying for the public’s attention have had even more distractions than normal to contend with.

In the last two weeks alone there have been two four-day bank holiday weekends, weather more like the Mediterranean than Hampshire in April, and then there was the small matter of the royal wedding.

On top of all that there is the ongoing campaigning for alternative voting or maintaining our current first past the post system – a debate that is overshadowing any discussions over which parties will be controlling our town halls by the end of this week.

But now, with just two days to go, the big push is on to get voters across Hampshire out to the ballot box on Thursday, not just to place their cross in the voting reform referendum but also to have their say over who represents them on the local council.

All the seats at New Forest and Test Valley councils are up for election while only a percentage of other councils (Southampton, Eastleigh and Winchester) will be decided.

Some councils, including Hampshire County Council, are not up for election this time round.

Southampton City Council Tory leader Royston Smith said: “With the hot weather and the extra time off it has not been easy to get people interested in politics, that’s for sure. But it is vital that people come out and vote. It is their right to have a say and it is one that has been earned over generations and centuries.

“I would always encourage everyone to make their vote count.”

Eastleigh Borough Council Lib Dem leader Keith House added: “People often think their vote doesn’t matter but it is simply not true.

“In a local election a person’s vote carries far more weight than it does in the general election and it is a person’s chance to have their say about what is happening in their area.

“I would urge everybody to come out and vote regardless of politics, age or background and play an active part in democracy.”

Constituents may not only be voting in a local candidate but could be changing the balance of power in the civic offices.

Some councillors whose parties seem to have a stranglehold fear they will be fighting for their positions due to controversial decisions or voters switching alliances on national issues.

This election night will also see people given the chance to decide the future of the voting system.

The referendum will determine whether the country sticks to the traditional first past the post system or switches to alternative voting.

The polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.

The results for city, borough and district councillors are expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday morning.

Hampshire is a hotbed of political activity that has seen Cabinet ministers rise and fall and the three main parties battle it out for control of the local authorities.

Alternative Vote referendum

ALSO be held on Thursday is the voting reform referendum – whether to scrap the current first past the post system where we vote for just one candidate and replace it with an alternative voting system of ranking candidates in first second or third preference. Under that new system if no candidate has 50 percent of the vote based on first choices the candidate with the lowest number of votes is taken out of the running.

The people who voted for this candidate will then see their votes going to their second choice.

This will be repeated until one candidate has more than 50 per cent of the vote.