Chase Blount: My first election was a car crash – but I still gained from it

Chase Blount studies at the University of Bath. She is the Deputy Chair of Torfaen Conservatives and is Chair of Libertarian Conservatives UK.

While everyone was distracted as they eagerly awaited the Gorton and Denton by-election results, I was standing around a small counting table in a polling station for Two Locks, a Welsh Cwmbran Community Council ward. Of which I was a candidate.

I thought to myself that the Reform lot were slightly too confident as they rushed to the front with their clipboards, haul of Reform merchandise, and big smiles plastered from one ear to another. But it was evident from the moment the counters tipped the ballot papers out onto the table that they had every reason to count their chickens before they hatched. I struggled to see any ballots with a mark in the Conservative box; even more worrying, I saw many in the Labour and Plaid Cymru boxes.

No way that Reform would win this, I told myself, especially since the only reason this by-election was being held: the Reform councillor, David Thomas, failed to show up to a single meeting in six months, therefore triggering grounds for vacation by the council group. Not only did he take his voters for granted, but he also cost the taxpayers around £10,000! Imagine the potholes that could be filled with that sum! How wrong was I, though? Reform won by a landslide; the results were as follows:

• Plaid Cymru: 94 (16 per cent)
• Conservatives: 22 (4 per cent)
• Liberal Democrats: 76 (13 per cent)
• Labour: 102 (17 per cent)
• Reform: 290 (50 per cent)

It was humiliating! Not only were we all trounced by the party that caused this mess, but I received fewer votes than the Liberal Democrat candidate, who received 4.6% of the Torfaen parliamentary vote in 2024. Luckily, deposits aren’t a thing in these elections – otherwise I would not be getting it back!

Despite coming in last place, I left the count feeling happier than when I walked in. This is because it made me think about the benefits I gained from even being a candidate for the first time. To which there are many.

At the start, putting your name forward is a huge step, especially since I hadn’t done it before. Conversing with members of the party’s local association about my intentions and willingness to stand led to my selection as the party’s candidate. This is a huge accomplishment in itself, as it’s a statement to have the backing of a whole mainstream party and the backing of its local figures. You learn that you yourself can actually participate in one of the core pillars of Britain, its democracy, and as a younger member, it’s great to know that people of all ages can be considered, based on merit and capabilities.

Once I was the party’s nominee, it was time for bureaucracy! This in itself was such an educational process, learning what forms were necessary to fill in, even on such a local level, giving me the insight for a future run. I decided to fill these in as soon as I could to get it out of the way, allowing me to move on to more exciting parts of the campaign. After handing them in, I started work on probably my second favourite part of the campaign, designing my election graphics.

When working on my leaflet, it was great being able to base my policy priorities on what I’ve heard from residents themselves, knowing what was important to them even on a local level. I made a plain, straightforward plan: Fixing the Roads, Cleaning up the Streets, and Local Representation, things I believe above anything else are achievable, and will make a real, direct difference to the constituents day to day lives. Although there was a lot of messing around with fonts, colour schemes, and image placement, it was an invaluable opportunity for me to be able to learn more about what my neighbours and fellow residents thought in my local area. It’s also priceless to see your face for the first time on a leaflet, knowing that people across the ward will get to learn more about your goals and who you are, increasing your name recognition for future opportunities to give back to the community through public service.

There were 1,500 houses in this ward, and the aim was to get a leaflet through every single one of those doors. We achieved this swiftly thanks to the help of the local team, our friendly neighbouring team in Monmouthshire, and even a member who travelled all the way from Swansea to campaign! This dedication from all those helpers was not only warming, but it was also reassuring and telling that, whatever people like to say about the party: we’re still alive, we’re still kicking, and we’re not going anywhere.

Before, on the doorsteps, I was never able to talk to residents about myself, what I planned, and what I would do to address their concerns, instead I had to be incredibly precise with how I answered since I couldn’t talk for myself, rather I would have to talk for the candidate themself and what they would do. With this, there isn’t much freedom as there was being the candidate themself. Any questions asked about, you, you will naturally know and you can think for yourself rather than for others. This is why, no matter how much fun campaigning for others can be, campaigning for your own campaign is even more joyful.

At the end of the campaign, after seeing how pushed aside local issues were in this race, and the earthquake of a swing that Reform caused, even when every main party in Wales was standing, the main thing I’ve learnt is that unfortunately in most scenarios, national politics always seems to trump local politics as the deciding factors in British elections. It’s not impossible to win a campaign solely on a local basis, but it’s incredibly difficult, and takes a lot of time, something that I didn’t have fighting a by-election. My advice to any Conservatives who are considering standing but are worried that they may not receive the best results… just do it. Because even if in the worst case scenario, you come last, you will still gain an invaluable experience, and you will still ensure that the people of Britain have a choice in their elections.