Proxy voting

A proxy vote gives someone the opportunity to appoint someone else to cast their vote on their behalf. This is normally a friend or a family member.

An appointed proxy must be registered and eligible to vote in the relevant election and is not permitted to act as a proxy for more than two ordinary voters (excluding overseas or service voters). They do not have to live in Chelmsford.

The elector can still attend the polling station and cast their vote themselves on polling day, as long as their proxy has not applied for a postal vote or cast their vote on their behalf.

Voters can appoint a candidate or campaigner as their proxy but you should make sure that you explore whether they have any other options first to minimise the risk of your intentions being called into question.

Voters can apply to vote by proxy online

Please encourage electors to use the forms on our website as this reduces the likelihood of there being missing or unclear information and issues with their application. Applications to vote by post for these elections must be submitted to us by 5pm Tuesday 28th April.

A proxy vote is not set up until the voter receives written confirmation. We may have queries on some of the information provided.

If an elector cannot make it to a polling station on election day, they may be able to apply for an emergency proxy vote (until 5pm on polling day) if:

they have a medical condition, illness or disability arising after the deadline for ordinary proxy applications
their occupation, service or employment means they cannot go to the polling station in person and they became aware of this after the deadline for ordinary proxy applications
their photo ID has been lost, stolen, destroyed or damaged and the deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate has passed.

In some circumstances, the application needs to be attested by a relevant representative (e.g. registered nurse, social worker or their employer). If the application is not appropriately attested, we cannot legally process their application.