We hold full City Council elections every four years, alongside parish area elections. The last council elections were in 2023 and the next are due in May 2027.

You can also find out more about:

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner elections: Thursday 2 May 2024

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected to make sure that local police meet the needs of the community. In Essex the PCC also oversees Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and so is called the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex.

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We will publish details of candidates standing at this election on Monday 8 April 2024, after the close of the nominations period.

You do not need to re-register to vote for each election. If you voted in the last elections and nothing has changed (such as you haven't moved house), then you do not need to do anything.

If you are not registered to vote, or something has changed since you last voted, you can register to vote online.

The deadline to register to vote for the PFCC election is midnight on Tuesday 16 April 2024.

We will send out poll cards around Tuesday 26 March 2024. As the law has changed, your poll card may look different this year. Your poll card may be sent in the form of a letter, but the envelope will be clearly labelled.

You need to read your polling card carefully to check your voting arrangements. You do not need to take it with you to vote.

Some polling stations may have changed since the last election. You can check where your polling station is online or check your poll card.

If you need additional help when voting at a polling station, you can contact us online.

The UK government has decided that voters must show photo identification when voting in person.

You can find out more information about voter ID. This includes a list of acceptable documents.

If you do not have ID, you can apply for a voter authority certificate for free.

The deadline for applying for the certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

If you are going to be away, or can’t get to your polling station on Thursday 2 May 2024, you can apply to vote by post or by proxy.

Postal voting

If you apply to vote by post, we will send your ballot papers to you by post. You must return your ballot paper by 10pm on election day. You can send your vote back to us by post or deliver it to us by hand.

We will send out postal votes from around Monday 15 April 2024. You can view our guidance on completing your postal vote.

You can apply for postal vote online. You must send your applications to us before 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024.

Proxy voting

If you apply for a proxy vote, you can appoint someone else to cast your vote for you. This should be a friend or family member that you trust.

Unless your proxy sets up a proxy postal vote, they will have to go to your polling station to cast your vote.

You can apply for a proxy vote online. You must send your applications to us before 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

You can find out more about voting by postal and proxy voting.

  • Poll card delivery: around Tuesday 26 March 2024
  • List of candidates published: Monday 8 April 2024
  • Deadline to register to vote: 11.59pm on Tuesday 16 April 2024
  • Deadline to apply for postal or change existing postal votes: 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024
  • Deadline to apply for proxy vote or change existing proxy votes: 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024
  • Deadline to apply for Voter Authority Certificates (voter ID): 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024
  • Polling day: Thursday 2 May 2024 (7am to 10pm)
  • Count and publication of results: Friday 3 May 2024

If you would like to stand in this election, you need to contact the Electoral Team at Colchester City Council, as they are organising the election for the whole of Essex.

We will publish details of candidates standing at this election on Monday 8 April 2024, after the nomination period closes.

By law, we are only allowed to published the candidates' names. We are not allowed to publish any further information about them or what they stand for.

We are looking for people who are interested in joining our pool of casual election staff. You can view our working at elections page to find out more about the roles on offer.

The Electoral Commission has produced a number of helpful videos to explain various aspects of the voting process. This includes videos in British Sign Language.

You can visit the Electoral Commission's YouTube channel.

Is there something wrong with this page?

You can report issues with the website using our website feedback form, which will go directly to the Web Team. This team will be unable to deal with your enquiry if it is not related to the website.