Register to vote in city council elections - and don't forget you can choose to vote early this year!

8 April 2026

Vote early in this year's elections at Meadows, Guildhall or Clay Farm on 30 April, 1 May or 2 May from 9am-6pm

Elections take place on Thursday 7 May 2026 for 15 of the 42 seats on Cambridge City Council. One councillor will be elected in each of 13 wards, and two councillors will be elected in Trumpington ward following a resignation.

Poll cards are being sent out now to Cambridge residents already on the electoral register. Poll cards are not needed to be able to vote. If you are already registered you can find your polling station at https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

If you have not yet registered to vote, this year’s deadline is 11.59pm on Monday 20 April. To register, visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote with your National Insurance number to hand. The process should only take a few minutes. 

This year, registered voters in Cambridge will have the opportunity to cast their vote in person in advance of polling day, as part of a government backed trial. Anyone not voting early will still be able to vote as usual at a polling station on polling day, Thursday 7 May, or by postal or proxy vote. 

Early voting will be available from 9am to 6pm on Thursday 30 April, Friday 1 May and Saturday 2 May at any one of three voting hubs:

  • The Guildhall (Peas Hill entrance, Market Square, Cambridge CB2 3QJ) in the city centre
  • Meadows Community Centre (299 Arbury Road, CB4 2JL) in the north of the city
  • Clay Farm Centre (Hobson Square, Trumpington CB2 9FN) in the south of the city.

You must be registered to vote and listed on the Cambridge City Council Register of Electors to take part in the early voting trial. Residents of South Cambridgeshire District Council or any other council area cannot take part.

Voters are also reminded that they will need to take photo ID in order to vote in person – whether as part of the early voting trial or on polling day. Acceptable forms of photo ID include passport, driver’s licence, blue badge, older or disabled person’s bus pass, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) card and many more. For the complete list of acceptable forms of ID visit www.cambridge.gov.uk/voter-id-in-polling-stations

Anyone without an otherwise acceptable form of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate either online (at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate)  or by post. This is a free photo ID document issued for the specific purpose of voting at a polling station. The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for the elections on 7 May is Tuesday 28 April at 5pm.

Photo ID is not required for anyone voting by post, and anyone appointed as a proxy will need their own ID to vote on behalf of someone else.

If you wish to vote by post, you can apply to do so up until 5pm on Tuesday 21 April. You can appoint someone else to vote on your behalf by applying to vote by proxy up until 5pm on Tuesday 28 April. 

Robert Pollock, Returning Officer for the local elections, said: “If you haven’t registered to vote I’d urge you to so you can influence decisions that are important to your local community and to the city. These are likely to be the last ever elections to Cambridge City Council ahead of the biggest reorganisation of local government in decades. Your vote counts. This year we are making it more convenient than ever to vote at one of our three early voting hubs from 9am to 6pm on 30 April to 2 May. Registering only takes a few minutes – you just need to have your National Insurance number and visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”