Guidance for observing the May 2026 local council elections in England

What elections are taking place?

On Thursday 7 May 2026 there will be local council elections in England. This guidance is for accredited observers in England.

All 21 county councils were scheduled to hold elections in May 2025. However, in December 2024, the government informed councils that they could apply to delay their elections if it would support both reorganisation and devolution efforts within the most ambitious timeframe. This included councils aiming to join the government’s devolution priority programme, which would see their first mayoral elections held in May 2026, or those needing reorganisation to enable devolution.
All London Boroughs, 32 Metropolitan boroughs and many new unitary authorities will hold elections. 

The full list of scheduled elections is available on the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s website.

What can I observe?

As an accredited observer you are entitled to attend:

• the issue and receipt of postal ballot papers
• the polling stations
• the verification and counting of the votes

We have published a Code of Practice for electoral observers. You must comply with the standards of behaviour set out in this Code.
You do not need to tell electoral officials that you want to observe proceedings; by law you have a right to attend as detailed above. However, if you do tell them, they may be able to provide you with some relevant local and practical information, for example a list of polling stations or adaptations made to venues for accessibility purposes. You can still make unannounced visits or change your plans if you want to.

Who can vote in these elections?

A person can vote in these elections if they are:

• included on the electoral register at an address in England
• 18 years of age or over on the day of election
• a British or an Irish Citizen
• someone with permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man - or does not need permission - and is a:
• Commonwealth citizen,
• Citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain, or a Citizen of another EU country, that has had permission to enter or stay - or not needed permission - since 31 December 2020, and this has continued without a break
  
  What voting methods will be used?
  
  All elections taking place this year in England use the first-past-the-post system. The ballot paper will list the candidates standing in that area. Voters can vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies in that area.
  
  Some councils have local elections every four years and elect all councillors at the same time. Other councils vote by thirds. This means that a third of councillors are elected every year over a three-year period with no elections in the fourth year. Other councils vote by halves with half of the councillors elected every two years.
  
  There may also be by-elections taking place for other seats on the council that have become vacant.
  Some areas may also have town or parish council elections taking place.

The lead RO at each of the different types of election will offer briefings ahead of the elections for candidates and agents. You may be able to attend these sessions which will help you to understand the processes that you are entitled to attend and observe. If you wish to attend these briefings, you should contact the relevant elections office beforehand to arrange your attendance.

Electors can apply to vote by post. The RO starts to send postal voting packs to postal voters around two weeks before polling day. Voters can return their packs by post to their local council or hand them in to certain polling stations on polling day. Completed postal voting packs must be returned by 10pm on polling day.

An individual may hand in their own postal vote and those of up to 5 other electors per poll.
If there are multiple polls taking place, and postal votes for these polls have been issued separately, the postal votes handed in must still only belong to a total of 5 other electors, however there may be multiple postal votes per elector.

It is an offence for a political campaigner at an election to handle the postal vote(s) of another person, unless that person is a close relative or someone for whom they or the organisation which employs or engages them provide regular care.
Anyone handing in a postal vote to either a polling station or to the RO at the council offices must complete a postal vote return form otherwise the postal votes will be rejected.

You are entitled to attend both the issuing of postal voting packs and postal vote opening sessions. Candidates may appoint a postal vote agent to attend on their behalf. The RO will be able to tell you when and where these sessions are taking place.

It is likely that there will be several postal vote opening sessions before polling day, as well as on polling day itself. You can contact the RO for details of these locally. There will also be a final opening session held after the polls have closed. Postal votes handed in to polling stations will be opened at this session. This session may be held at the count venue or in another location.

Postal voters must complete and return a postal voting statement which includes their signature and date of birth, as well as their ballot paper(s).
The RO will decide whether or not the date of birth and signature provided by electors on their postal voting statements matches the signature and date of birth previously provided by the elector and held on their records. If they do not match, the postal vote will be rejected.

A very small number of voters will have been granted a waiver because they are unable to sign or provide a consistent signature due to a disability or an inability to read or write. These voters do not need to sign their postal voting statement.

You are entitled to observe inside polling stations. The RO will be able to provide you with a list of all polling stations in the area where you want to observe.

Returning Officers may have reviewed their polling stations since the last elections and there may be some late changes to polling stations if venues become unavailable. Look out for such changes being communicated via local authority websites and/or social media channels.

Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 7 May 2026. You are permitted to arrive shortly before this to observe the sealing of the ballot box(es) prior to the poll opening.

The layout within each polling station may differ, but it may look similar to the images 
below:

Any person on the polling station’s electoral register can vote at the polling station unless:

• they are a registered postal voter
• they are a registered proxy voter and their proxy has already voted for them or has applied to vote on their behalf by post
• they are not 18 years of age or older on polling day
• they are registered as an overseas elector

Electors receive a poll card before the election telling them where they can vote. Most electors do not need to take their poll card to the polling station in order to vote. The only electors who need to bring a poll card with them to vote are those who have registered anonymously because of risks to their safety.

Registered postal voters cannot be issued with a ballot paper at the polling station. They can return their completed postal ballot pack to their polling station or any polling station in the relevant electoral area or to the RO at the elections office. Postal ballot packs returned to polling stations must be handed to polling station staff and not placed in the ballot box. Polling station staff will keep any postal votes secure until they are collected.

Anyone handing in a postal vote to either a polling station or to the Returning Officer at a council office must complete a postal vote return form otherwise the postal votes will be rejected.

The following people are entitled by law to be present in a polling station:

• the RO and their staff
• the Presiding Officer and clerks
• voters
• persons under voting age who accompany voters
• companions of disabled voters
• candidates and their election agents
• polling agents
• police officers and community support officers on duty at the polling station
• Electoral Commission representatives
• observers accredited by the Electoral Commission
• persons aged 18 or over handing in postal votes

The Ballot Paper Refusal List (BPRL) must be completed throughout polling day to provide an audit trail of the Presiding Officer’s decisions whenever they refuse to issue a ballot paper. The Presiding Officer is required to record on the BPRL throughout the day the details of the total number of electors (or proxies) who are refused a ballot paper on the following grounds:

• the photograph was not a good likeness
• the Presiding Officer believed the photographic ID was a forgery
• the elector failed to answer the prescribed questions satisfactorily.

The BPRL will also need to be updated if an elector returns later with accepted photographic ID, that is a good likeness and is issued with a ballot paper.

Through our work with civil society organisations and charities we have identified a range of equipment that can help to overcome the known barriers faced by disabled people. The following equipment should, as a minimum, be provided in all polling stations to support disabled voters:

Tellers stand outside polling stations and record the elector numbers of people who 
have voted. They can then identify likely supporters who have not voted yet and 
encourage them to vote before the close of poll.

Tellers have no legal status, and voters can refuse to give information to them.

Polls close at 10pm. Any voters waiting in a queue at their polling station at 10pm will be allowed to vote, even if they haven’t been issued with their ballot paper(s) yet.

Once all voters who have been issued with ballot paper(s) have voted, the Presiding Officer must seal the ballot box. Candidates, agents and polling agents can also add their own seal if they want to.

The Presiding Officer must then complete a number of official forms:

• the ballot paper account (which states how many ballot papers were issued)
• the list of voters with disabilities assisted by companions
• the list of votes marked by the Presiding Officer
• the statement of the number of voters whose votes were marked by the Presiding Officer
• the list of tendered votes
• the Voter ID Evaluation Form (VIDEF) if required by the RO
• the Ballot Paper Refusal List (BPRL)

You are entitled to attend the verification and count. You are only permitted to 
observe the process. You are not allowed to enter the restricted area where staff count the votes. Returning Officers have the right to limit the number of observers who may be present at any one time during the verification and count.
The RO is responsible for verifying and counting the votes cast in their area. They are also responsible for declaring the results of the elections.

The RO will be able to tell you when and where the counts will take place. 

The following people are entitled by law to attend the verification and count:

• Returning Officers and their staff
• candidates plus one guest
• election agents (or a sub-agent on their behalf)
• counting agents
• Electoral Commission representatives
• observers accredited by the Electoral Commission
• any other person permitted by the RO

The RO may allow representatives of the media to attend the verification and count but they must not interfere with the process or compromise the secrecy of the vote.

Counting agents have a number of important roles to play at the count:

• they observe the counting process and make sure that it is accurate
• they can draw to the attention of count staff any doubtful ballot papers
• if they disagree with a decision by the RO to reject a ballot paper, they can ask the RO to mark on the ballot paper “rejection objected to”
• if a count is suspended for any reason, counting agents can add their seals at the same time as the Returning Officer does. This process ensures the integrity of the ballots during any break in proceedings. 

After polling stations close at 10pm the ballot boxes will be delivered to the count 
venue. Postal ballot papers previously received and opened will also be brought to the venue in sealed ballot boxes.

All ballot papers must then be verified. Verification has two main purposes:

• ensure ballot papers have been brought to the count
• to provide the figure that should match the result of the count.

The number of ballot papers in each box are counted and will be compared with the number on the ballot paper account. If the number of ballot papers in each box matches the ballot paper account the verification of that box is complete. If the numbers do not match, the ballot papers will be recounted and the documentation checked again. This process will continue until the RO is satisfied as to the actual number of ballot papers to be included in the count. 

After the verification stage is complete, the RO must mix the polling station and postal vote ballot papers before the votes are sorted and counted. The ballot papers should be kept face upwards and be visible at all times to any candidates, agents and observers present. Any doubtful ballot papers should be placed aside for adjudication.

Staff will count the number of votes at each election cast for each candidate. Where more than one candidate is to be elected in a ward, ROs may use different methods to establish the votes cast for each candidate, for example, by using counting sheets.

The candidate(s) with the most votes are elected. The RO will make a declaration stating who has been elected after each contest has been counted.

A doubtful ballot paper is a ballot paper that has not been completed in accordance with the instructions. During the count, these ballot papers will be placed aside. The RO will adjudicate these ballot papers regularly throughout the count to determine whether the intention of the voter clearly appears on the ballot paper.

An announcement will be made that an adjudication on doubtful ballot papers is about to be made. The RO will decide whether each doubtful ballot paper is valid in the presence of candidates, agents and observers. You can attend the adjudication, but it will not be delayed if you are not present.
The RO will inform those present whether or not each doubtful ballot paper is valid and the reason for their decision. The ROs decision is final and can only be challenged by an election petition.

Any doubtful ballot papers that are declared as valid must be counted and included in the total number of votes cast for the appropriate candidate.

A ballot paper will not be counted if it:

• is unmarked
• does not contain the official mark
• contains votes for more candidates than the number of vacancies
• contains any mark or writing that can identify the voter
• does not indicate the voter’s intention with certainty

The RO must mark the word “rejected” on any ballot paper that is rejected and must 
draw up a statement showing the number of ballot papers rejected for these reasons.
 

If two or more candidates have the same number of votes, the Returning Officer must decide between them by drawing lots. The method of doing so is at the ROs discretion.

We welcome feedback from your electoral observations which you can submit using our feedback form.
If you want to submit feedback on these elections, the deadline for feedback to be considered is Friday 5 June 2026.

Feedback may be shared with relevant Returning Officers to help improve the running of elections and the observer scheme.
If you would like to send feedback in a different format, please email [email protected]