About this election

The candidates for this election will be published on Friday 10th April 2026. 

We are not able to publish or share any additional information about the candidates, but if voters ask for more information you can direct them to the independent Who can I vote for website. We do not manage this website and the information provided may not be complete.

Elections are always an emotive topic, please ensure that you do not engage with any conversations about who residents should vote for or what your views are on any of the candidates.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England decides the boundaries for local elections, and they reviewed the boundaries for Essex in 2024.

This means that some residents in Chelmsford will be voting in a different division now. This does not change which polling station they go to, or any of their voting rights.

In some areas, there have been minor changes. For example, the 'Great Baddow' division has been renamed 'Great Baddow and Galleywood' to recognise that it also covers Galleywood, but the boundaries remain the same.

In other areas, the division may have changed entirely. For example, the 'Stock' division has been abolished and all of the villages that used to make up this area have been divided between other divisions.

Some residents may not even notice this change, but it is important that you are able to help them understand what it means for them.

You can view a map of the old and new boundaries on the LGBCE website.

Chelmsford City Council and Essex County Council were consulted with in this review, but do not have the power to decide what the boundaries should be. 

You can vote in these elections if you are over 18, are a British, Irish or qualifying commonwealth citizen or a qualifying EU citizen and are registered to vote.

Markers on the electoral register

Some voters on the electoral register will have a marker next to their name which will indicate whether they can vote in these elections and how.

N - This is an anonymous voter, they can vote in a polling station at this election.

G - This is a qualifying EU citizen, they can vote at this election.

B - This is a qualifying EU citizen, who has renewed their qualifying status they can vote at this election.

A - This is a postal voter, they can vote in this election but cannot be issued a ballot paper at the polling station as they have already received a ballot paper by post.

P - This is a proxy voter, they have appointed someone else to cast their vote on their behalf. They can vote in person at the polling station, but only if their proxy hasn't already cast their vote.

F - These are overseas voters, they cannot vote at the polling station at in this election.

DD/MM/YYYY - Voters that have a date next to their name are under 18 and cannot vote in this election unless the date is before election day.

You will have a list of what all of these markers mean at the polling station.

Your main role of the polling station is to help us deliver the election safely and fairly. To do this you should:

• act impartially at all times
• provide a good and fair voting experience for voters
• be polite and supportive when talking to voters
• ensure the secrecy of the ballot
• call us if you have any problems 

There are some things that only a presiding officer should do:

• asking the police to remove someone from a polling station
• refuse someone a ballot paper 
• ask the prescribed questions 

In 2023 we implemented some changes from the new elections law, the most significant being the introduction of voter ID, which thanks to your support, went very smoothly!

At the last elections, we also introduced changes to postal vote handling that were approved in this law. The main things to remember are:

• An individual can only hand in up to five postal votes, plus their own.
• Anyone handing in postal votes at a polling station must complete a form confirming who they are and how many forms they are returning.

If anyone does not comply with the above when handing in their forms, you must reject them. You can find out more on our managing the polling station throughout the day page.  

The Essex County Council elections were due to take place in May 2025, but the Government decided to postpone them, due to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). 

The Government then considered delaying these polls again this year, but decided not to, following seeking legal advice.

We believe that local democracy is important and understand that the uncertainty around these elections may have caused some distress. However, it is important that we don't encourage or engage in discussion regarding this in polling stations, as it is a political issue.

If voters do bring this up in your polling station, please just politely remind them that Chelmsford City Council are only responsible for administering the elections and did not make these decisions.