Make sure you’re ready to vote in the Essex County Council elections

Voters will go to the polls across Essex on Thursday 7 May 2026 to vote in the Essex County Council elections.

Choosing your county councillors

These elections are your opportunity to choose who you want to represent you in your community.

Essex county councillors make important decisions about county-wide issues such as roads and highways, education and schools, children’s services, adult social care and libraries. They also work with other organisations to improve county council services and can raise issues on behalf of their residents.

There are nine councillors who sit on the county council to represent Chelmsford and they each look after a different area, called a division. Residents will elect a county councillor to represent the division they live in.

Elections for Essex County Council usually take place every four years but those scheduled for May 2025 were postponed by the Government due to Local Government Reorganisation. In January, the Government confirmed that elections for Essex County Council would take place this year.

Chelmsford City Council is not due to have its own election this year, but it administers elections in the Chelmsford area on behalf of the county council.

New electoral boundaries 

Since the last election, the Local Government Boundary Commission England (LGBCE) has reviewed Essex County Council's voting boundaries. The review has redrawn the boundaries in some areas so you may find the division you are voting in has changed.

In some areas, boundaries have been changed to merge or create new divisions. In others, the division has just been renamed. The biggest change to Chelmsford voting boundaries is the abolition of the Stock division. It has been replaced by Danbury and The Hannningfields, with Stock and Margaretting now included in the Broomfield and Writtle division.

The new divisions are:

• Broomfield and Writtle
• Chelmer
• Chelmsford Central
• Chelmsford North
• Chelmsford West
• Danbury and The Hanningfields
• Great Baddow and Galleywood
• Springfield
• Woodham Ferrers

Your poll card will tell you which division you are voting in if you are not sure.

You can find out more about these changes and view a map on the LGBCE website.

Key dates for voters

Before polling day arrives, it’s a good idea to check everything is in place for you to cast your vote. Here are the key dates you need to know.

Register to vote by midnight on Monday 20 April 2026

You must be registered to vote to take part in these elections. You can check your eligibility and register to vote online via the gov.uk website. If you voted in the last election and haven’t moved or changed your details, you don’t need to register again.

Apply for a postal vote by 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026

If you’ll be away or can’t get to your polling station, you can apply for a postal vote. Your ballot papers will be sent to you, and you must return them by 10pm on election day.

When your postal vote pack arrives, you might notice it looks a little different this year. Your ballot paper will be attached to your postal voting statement to help keep everything secure.

Postal votes now need to be renewed every three years, so if yours expired in January 2026, you’ll have received a reminder letter to reapply.

Apply for a proxy vote by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026

A proxy vote lets someone you trust vote on your behalf. They’ll need to go to your designated polling station to vote or apply for a postal vote themselves. You can apply for a proxy vote online or by downloading and completing a paper application form.

Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026

Since 2024, you must show an accepted form of photo ID to vote in person. You can find full details, including the list of acceptable ID, on the council’s website. If you don’t have suitable ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

What happens next?

Poll cards will start arriving in the post from Monday 30 March 2026. This year your poll card will be in the form of a letter, but the envelope will be clearly labelled.

Your poll card will tell you which polling station you need to go to, as this may have changed since the last election. For example, voters in South Woodham Ferrers who previously used the Chetwood Centre will now need to vote at Collingwood School.

To find out more information about the candidates standing in each division, look out for their campaigns in your local community. A list of names and the parties who are standing for election will be published on the city council’s website on Friday 10 April 2026.

You can keep up to date with the latest information about upcoming elections on Chelmsford City Council’s website or sign up to our City News email newsletter to get local stories straight to your inbox.