Outside St Martins United Reform Church in Saltdean, which was used as a polling station, residents spoke about how they voted and why.
Voters expressed concerns about housing, education, East Sussex boundary changes and national politics overshadowing local council issues.
All 120 council seats on East and West Sussex County Council are up for election.
A number of district and borough council seats on Adur, Worthing, Crawley and Hastings are also being decided.
Brenda Ayass (Image: NQ)
Saltdean resident Brenda Ayass said: “We do need money spent on education… there is a lot of things missing in the classroom that they need.”
James Gooch, who said he voted Green, said: “I voted Green because they are the best of a bad lot, really.
“I’d like a little more peace in the world, good things, not greed, looking out for the common person, rather than looking after themselves.”
What is reportedly informing Suki’s vote is her love of beaches (Image: NQ)
Mr Gooch also spoke about orders preventing dogs going on parts of beaches in the area between between May 1 and September 30.
He said: “Suki wants to be allowed on the beaches.
“I can understand it smack bang in the middle of summer, but it seems to be awfully elongated.
“As soon as summer comes along, everything gets stopped and banned.”
One elderly woman, who said she is in pain when she walks and wanted to remain anonymous, said voting matters more than ever so the trip was worth it.
She said: “Growing up, we played on bombsites, we’ve seen it all and this country is absolutely diabolical.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said many people were voting on national issues despite this being a local election.
She said: “Everyone’s voting on national things… they forget, don’t they? This is local.”
Carly Macdonald is a Green supporter wanting to see better facilities in the area (Image: NQ)
Carly Macdonald voted Green, saying she was unhappy with the lack of facilities in East Sussex.
She said: “There’s a huge issue with lack of facilities in Peacehaven and Telscombe.”
She said: “I’ve decided to vote with my heart rather than my head.”
Many residents said they feared Saltdean could be absorbed into Brighton and Hove amid local government reorganisation.
One half of Saltdean currently falls under Brighton and Hove City Council while the other half is under Lewes District Council.
Half of Saltdean lies within Brighton and Hove City Council, and the other half within Lewes District Council (Image: NQ)
One resident said they were worried about how it would affect their bin collections.
Housing was another big issue for voters.
Brenda and David Ansell said: “We want new builds to be on brownfield land and not on new territory.”
Others shared their political motivations more openly.
One woman said she voted tactically to keep Reform out of her community because she believed the party’s messaging is dangerous.
“I don’t want my daughter growing up in a world where Reform is getting votes,” she said.
Martin Hess, a Reform supporter, said the lack of supermarkets in the area and congestion are two issues shaping his vote.
The music on the street opposite the polling station was coming from this truck, pictured with Martin Hess (Image: NQ)
Dogs at polling stations
Many voters brought their canine companions to the polling station.
Rachel Roberts and her four legged friends are Green supporters (Image: NQ)
French bulldog Clouseau was also at the polling station (Image: NQ)
Michael Hunter and his dogs Henry and William (Image: NQ)
Michael Hunter joked that his dogs were firm Labour supporters.
Mukhta Bari and his dog Ruby (Image: NQ)
Rachel Pittman and her dog Bluebell (Image: NQ)
The local election results will be announced tomorrow and The Argus will have live coverage again throughout the day.
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