We are taking part in the national flexible-voting pilot for the upcoming city council elections on 7 May 2026. You can choose to either vote on polling day, or cast your vote early at one of three ‘early voting hubs’.
Early voting is being trialled to make voting more convenient and to understand whether extra voting days and combined polling stations support voters who might find it harder to attend their allocated polling station on polling day.
This page explains who can vote early, when and where the hubs are open, what accessibility support is available, what ID you need to bring, and what to expect when you arrive.
Early voting is only being trialled in Cambridge for the May 2026 elections. It will not be available at future polls unless new laws allow it.
Who can vote early
You must be registered to vote and listed on the Cambridge City Council Register of Electors. Residents of South Cambridgeshire District Council or any other council area cannot vote in the Cambridge early voting pilot.
If you vote in person, you can choose to vote in either:
- any one of the three voting hubs during the early voting period
- your allocated polling station on polling day
If you are a proxy voter, the same options apply to you or your proxy. You can only vote if your proxy has not already voted for you – make sure to check with each other before you go to vote.
If you are a postal voter, you can either:
- go to an early voting hub and ask for help to complete your postal vote pack
- hand your completed postal vote in to any hub during the early voting period
- hand your completed postal vote pack in at any polling station in your ward on polling day
- hand your completed postal vote pack in at the council’s offices on Regent Street
- post your completed postal vote pack using the envelope provided
Do not put a completed postal vote into the letterbox at the council offices, as new rules mean we must reject it. When you hand a completed postal vote in to a hub, a polling station or at the council offices, you will be asked to sign a form confirming your details.
Early voting hubs
Locations and opening times
Early voting hubs are located at:
- Clay Farm Centre, Hobson Square, Trumpington, Cambridge CB2 9FN
- The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge CB2 3QJ – use the entrance on Peas Hill, via the tourist information centre
- Meadows Community Centre, 299, Arbury Road, Cambridge CB4 2JL
Follow the links above for information about public transport, disabled parking and other facilities.
The hubs will be open on the following dates:
- Thursday 30 April, from 9am to 6pm
- Friday 1 May, from 9am to 6pm
- Saturday 2 May, from 9am to 6pm
Polling day hours remain the same: Thursday 7 May, from 7am to 10pm.
Accessibility and support
The hubs at the Guildhall and Clay Farm Centre are fully accessible with step‑free entrances. The hub at the Meadows centre is located on the first floor, with lift access.
All hubs have:
- large‑print sample ballot papers and magnifying glasses
- McGonagle reader audio-voting systems
- tactile voting devices
- lowered polling booths for wheelchair users
- supportive staff trained to help voters with disabilities
- seating available for anyone who needs it
- screened areas if you wish to show your photo ID in private
If you have an assistive app on your mobile phone, please inform the staff that you intend to use it to help you vote. The routine use of mobile phones is not otherwise permitted.
If you need any additional support, please speak to a member of staff when you arrive.
Required identification
You must bring an accepted form of photo ID to vote early, just as you would on polling day.
Accepted forms of ID include:
- passport
- driving licence
- Blue Badge
- PASS proof‑of‑age card
- biometric immigration document
- Defence Identity Card
- Voter Authority Certificate (free voter ID)
If your ID is out of date, you can still use it, but the photo must be a good likeness of you. Check our voter ID page to see the full list of accepted identification.
If you do not have an accepted form of ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
Voting at the hub
The voting process will be the same as voting at a polling station on polling day. The only difference will be that polling staff will use electronic registers on tablets, rather than the paper registers you are used to.
This ensures that voters can be recorded as having voted in ‘real-time’ across all three hubs and therefore prevent anyone from voting more than once.
- On arrival, go to either of the poll clerks.
- If you have your poll card, the poll clerk will scan the QR code with the tablet.
- If you do not have your poll card, give the poll clerk your name and address and they will find you in the register.
- They will confirm your name and address.
- Show your accepted photo ID.
- The poll clerk will scan the QR code on your ballot paper to make sure you have been issued with the correct ballot paper for the ward you live in.
- It also records the number of the ballot paper that has been issued to you. This is no different to what happens in a normal polling station, it just records it electronically instead of using paper. This is a security measure to ensure your ballot paper is genuine and that an audit trail is in place if voter fraud is suspected or the election is challenged. Only a judge can order access to the record of the ballot paper you have been given.
- Complete your ballot paper in a polling booth on your own. Do not let anyone see how you vote or try to influence you. If you need help to vote, ask the staff.
- Put your completed ballot paper into the ballot box.
Ballot papers will be sealed and stored securely at the end of each early voting day. They will not be opened until counting begins after polls close on polling day.
Electronic registers are not new and have been successfully used at other local authorities on polling day for a number of years.
Why we are taking part in this pilot
The flexible-voting pilot is a government initiative designed to test ways of making voting more convenient. Cambridge is one of five local authorities selected to take part.
After the election, we will provide feedback to the government and the Electoral Commission about how the pilot worked, including turnout, accessibility, and the experience of residents.
After polling day, you might be contacted to ask about your experience of the pilot and voting in Cambridge in general.
