Colchester City and Essex County Elections 7 May 2026
Elections will take place across Colchester on Thursday 7 May 2026 to elect councillors to Essex County Council and Colchester City Council.
Timetable
| Event | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Publication of Notice of Election | Friday 27 March | |
| Candidate nomination deadline | Thursday 9 April | 4pm |
| Appointment of election agents | Thursday 9 April | 4pm |
| Publication of Notice of Election Agents | Thursday 9 April | 4pm |
| Publication of Statements of Persons Nominated | Thursday 9 April | 4pm |
| Last date for registration | Monday 20 April | |
| Last day for postal vote applications | Tuesday 21 April | 5pm |
| Last day for voter authority certificates | Tuesday 28 April | 5pm |
| Publication of Notice of Poll | Tuesday 28 April | |
| Last day for proxy vote applications | Tuesday 28 April | 5pm |
| First day to issue replacement lost postal ballot papers | Thursday 30 April | |
| Day of poll | Thursday 7 May | 7am to 10pm |
Nominations
Nominations for candidates wishing to stand must be submitted in person in accordance with the legal timetable.
Nomination packs and guidance on how to complete the nomination, how to stand for election and how to campaign can be obtained from the Electoral Commissions website.
Essex County Elections
The Essex County Council elections, which will elect nine County Councillors in the Colchester area, were originally scheduled for May 2025 but were postponed. These elections will now take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.
Further details are available on the Essex County Council website. These elections will be conducted using new County division boundaries.
County divisions in the Colchester area are:
Colchester Abbey, Colchester Lexden, Colchester Maypole, Colchester North, Colchester St Johns, Constable, Mersea and Tiptree, Stanway and Marks Tey, Wivenhoe St Andrews.
Colchester City Council elections
Colchester City Council elections will take place across the council to elect one Councillor for each of the seventeen wards on Thursday 7 May 2026.
The wards are:
Berechurch, Castle, Greenstead, Highwoods, Lexden and Braiswick, Marks Tey and Layer, Mersea and Pyefleet, Mile End, New Town and Christ Church, Old Heath and The Hythe, Prettygate, Rural North, Shrub End, St Annes and St Johns, Stanway, Tiptree, Wivenhoe.
Voting
Information and guidance for you as a voter can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.
You can register to vote online.
If you have registered to vote at your property and have not moved since, you do not need to re-register to vote. If you are unsure if you are registered, you can contact us to check.
If you are unable to attend your polling station to cast your vote, you can apply to vote by post or to vote by proxy.
The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 17:00 on 17 April.
The initial postal vote dispatch will be on 17 April for anyone who has an existing postal vote or who applies up to 2 April. With a subsequent postal vote dispatch on 24 April for anyone who applies up to the deadline.
Ballot papers can only be produced after all candidates are confirmed following the close of candidate nominations, therefore we can only send postal votes after this date.
If you need to cancel or amend your postal vote for any reason, you must contact us to do so before 17:00 on 21 April.
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 17:00 on 28 April.
Notices
County - Notice of ElectionCity - Notice of Election
Page last reviewed: 27 March 2026