Upcoming elections

We will be holding two polls on Thursday 1 May 2025

Following the resignation of Councillor Marie Goldman, we will hold a by-election for the Chelmsford Central division seat for Essex County Council.

We will also hold a by-election for the Moulsham and Central ward of Chelmsford City Council, following the resignations of Councillor Marie Goldman and Councillor Graham Pooley.

You can view an electoral boundaries map  to show what areas are covered.

You can also find out more about the tiers of local government and what they do.

Residents in the Chelmsford Central division of Essex County Council will have the opportunity to vote for one candidate to represent them for Essex County Council.

The ballot paper for this election will be white.

We will publish the candidates for this election on Thursday 3 April 2025.

If you live in the Moulsham and Central ward, you will also receive a ballot paper for the city council elections. 

You will get a:

  • white ballot paper for the Essex County Council election, where you can vote for one candidate
  • lilac ballot paper for the Chelmsford City Council election, where you can vote for up to two candidates

We will publish the candidates for this election on Thursday 3 April 2025.

  • Tuesday 25 March: Notice of Election published
  • Monday 31 March onwards: Delivery of poll cards
  • Thursday 3 April: Confirmation of the candidates standing in the City and County Council elections
  • Wednesday 9 April onwards: Delivery of existing postal votes 
  • Friday 11 April (11.59pm): Deadline to register to vote
  • Monday 14 April (5pm): Deadline to apply for postal vote, cancel or change existing postal vote
  • Wednesday 23 April (5pm): Deadline to apply for Voter Authority Certificates
  • Wednesday 23 April (5pm): Deadline to apply for a proxy vote or cancel an existing proxy vote
  • Thursday 1 May (5pm): Deadline to apply for an emergency proxy
  • Thursday 1 May: Polling day 
  • Friday 2 May: Count and declaration of results

You will only be able to vote in these polls if you are registered elector, eligible to vote in this type of election and live in the Chelmsford Central division.

If you live in the Moulsham and Central ward, you will receive two ballot papers. This will include a:

  • white ballot paper for the Essex County Council election, where you can vote for one candidate
  • lilac ballot paper for the Chelmsford City Council election, where you can vote for up to two candidates

If you voted in the last election and have not moved or changed your details since, you do not need to register again.

If you are not currently registered to vote, and wish to vote in these polls, you need to register on the GOV.UK website by midnight on Friday 11 April 2025.

If you are registered, you should receive your poll card around Monday 31 March 2025. Make sure that you check which polling station you need to go to, as this may have changed since the last election.  

If you do not receive a poll card after this date, you can call us on 01245 606449 to check you are registered to vote. However, you do not need a poll card to vote.

You will need to present an accepted form of photo ID to vote in person at these polls. You can find out more about Voter ID, including what we can accept and how to apply for a free voter authority certificate.

Postal voting

If you have registered for a postal vote for these polls, we will start sending these out around Wednesday 9 April 2025.

The deadline to apply for or change a postal vote is 5pm on Monday 14 April 2025.

If you do not receive your postal vote by Friday 25 April 2025, we can  issue you a new postal voting pack but we must receive a written request.

Legally, we cannot issue this any earlier than this date.

If you request replacements, you cannot use the originals, as they will be void. 

If you request a reissued postal vote close to polling day, you may need to collect the replacement from our Civic Centre office. Otherwise, there may not be enough time for them to reach you and for you to post it back to us by the deadline. 

Proxy voting

You can appoint someone else to cast your vote on your behalf. This is called a proxy vote. Your proxy would need to go to the polling station that you normally vote at.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote or change your existing proxy vote is 5pm on Wednesday 23 April 2025.

However, if you fall ill or are called away for work after this date, you may be able to apply for an emergency proxy.

You can find out more about all these topics, including how to apply or contact us about an issue, on our postal and proxy voting page.

County council elections

The most recent elections for Essex County Council were in 2021.

The next elections are due in May 2026, following the government decision to postpone the elections to deliver devolution.

City and parish-tier elections

The last city and parish-tier elections were in 2023 and the next are due in May 2027.

General election

A general election took place on 4 July 2024. You can view the general election results. The date of the next election will be set by the government.

For a general election, Chelmsford residents are divided into three parliamentary constituencies:

You can check your parliamentary boundary online.

Other useful information

You can also find out more about:

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