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✶ Calendar · 28 ballots scheduled

Polls all
year round.

Beyond the big May polling days, council seats fall vacant all year — through resignations, deaths and more — and each vacancy means a by-election in that ward. Here is every poll Democracy Club has on its list, with the deadline that matters next.

On the horizon

The big polling days

Scheduled ballots

Every poll
on the list.

  1. 5 November 2026

    1 council · 1 seat

    Registration, postal, proxy and ID deadlines have passed

    Full timetable
    1. 1 Oct 2026 Notice of election Latest day the returning officer publishes the notice that starts the election.
    2. 9 Oct 2026 Nominations close Last day for candidates to deliver their nomination papers.
    3. 12 Oct 2026 Candidates published The statement of persons nominated — the final list of candidates on the ballot.
    4. 20 Oct 2026 Register to vote Last day to register to vote in this election.
    5. 21 Oct 2026 Postal vote Last day to apply for a postal vote (or change an existing one).
    6. 28 Oct 2026 Proxy vote Last day to apply for a proxy vote, except emergency proxies.
    7. 28 Oct 2026 Voter Authority Certificate Last day to apply for the free photo ID, if you have no other accepted ID.
    8. 30 Oct 2026 Replacement postal packs From this date the council can issue replacement postal packs for lost or spoilt ones.
    9. 5 Nov 2026 Polling day 7am to 10pm.

    • Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

      • Penn Hill By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

  2. 12 November 2026

    6 councils · 6 seats

    Next deadline Proxy vote · 4 Nov 2026 (today)

    Full timetable
    1. 8 Oct 2026 Notice of election Latest day the returning officer publishes the notice that starts the election.
    2. 16 Oct 2026 Nominations close Last day for candidates to deliver their nomination papers.
    3. 19 Oct 2026 Candidates published The statement of persons nominated — the final list of candidates on the ballot.
    4. 27 Oct 2026 Register to vote Last day to register to vote in this election.
    5. 28 Oct 2026 Postal vote Last day to apply for a postal vote (or change an existing one).
    6. 4 Nov 2026 Proxy vote Last day to apply for a proxy vote, except emergency proxies.
    7. 4 Nov 2026 Voter Authority Certificate Last day to apply for the free photo ID, if you have no other accepted ID.
    8. 6 Nov 2026 Replacement postal packs From this date the council can issue replacement postal packs for lost or spoilt ones.
    9. 12 Nov 2026 Polling day 7am to 10pm.

    • Hyndburn

      • Huncoat By-election · Death · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • North East Lincolnshire

      • Croft Baker By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Oldham

      • Failsworth West By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Staffordshire Moorlands

      • Cheddleton By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Suffolk

      • Bosmere By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Wigan

      • Hindley Green By-election · Death · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

  3. 19 November 2026

    9 councils · 9 seats

    Next deadline Postal vote · 4 Nov 2026 (today)

    Full timetable
    1. 15 Oct 2026 Notice of election Latest day the returning officer publishes the notice that starts the election.
    2. 23 Oct 2026 Nominations close Last day for candidates to deliver their nomination papers.
    3. 26 Oct 2026 Candidates published The statement of persons nominated — the final list of candidates on the ballot.
    4. 3 Nov 2026 Register to vote Last day to register to vote in this election.
    5. 4 Nov 2026 Postal vote Last day to apply for a postal vote (or change an existing one).
    6. 11 Nov 2026 Proxy vote Last day to apply for a proxy vote, except emergency proxies.
    7. 13 Nov 2026 Replacement postal packs From this date the council can issue replacement postal packs for lost or spoilt ones.
    8. 19 Nov 2026 Polling day 7am to 10pm.

    • Caerphilly

      • Risca East By-election · Death · 1 seat · First-past-the-post

    • Conwy

      • Bryn By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post

    • County Durham

    • Fareham

    • Havant

      • Emsworth By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Hertfordshire

      • Letchworth North By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • North Hertfordshire

    • Rotherham

    • South Staffordshire

  4. 26 November 2026

    6 councils · 8 seats

    Next deadline Register to vote · 10 Nov 2026 (in 6 days)

    Full timetable
    1. 22 Oct 2026 Notice of election Latest day the returning officer publishes the notice that starts the election.
    2. 30 Oct 2026 Nominations close Last day for candidates to deliver their nomination papers.
    3. 2 Nov 2026 Candidates published The statement of persons nominated — the final list of candidates on the ballot.
    4. 10 Nov 2026 Register to vote Last day to register to vote in this election.
    5. 11 Nov 2026 Postal vote Last day to apply for a postal vote (or change an existing one).
    6. 18 Nov 2026 Proxy vote Last day to apply for a proxy vote, except emergency proxies.
    7. 18 Nov 2026 Voter Authority Certificate Last day to apply for the free photo ID, if you have no other accepted ID.
    8. 20 Nov 2026 Replacement postal packs From this date the council can issue replacement postal packs for lost or spoilt ones.
    9. 26 Nov 2026 Polling day 7am to 10pm.

    • Birmingham

      • Shard End By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Bromsgrove

      • Marlbrook By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Flintshire

    • Manchester

      • Harpurhey By-election · Death · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Reading

    • Solihull

      • Castle Bromwich By-election · Resignation · 3 seats · First-past-the-post · photo ID

  5. 3 December 2026

    2 councils · 2 seats

    Next deadline Register to vote · 17 Nov 2026 (in 13 days)

    Full timetable
    1. 29 Oct 2026 Notice of election Latest day the returning officer publishes the notice that starts the election.
    2. 6 Nov 2026 Nominations close Last day for candidates to deliver their nomination papers.
    3. 9 Nov 2026 Candidates published The statement of persons nominated — the final list of candidates on the ballot.
    4. 17 Nov 2026 Register to vote Last day to register to vote in this election.
    5. 18 Nov 2026 Postal vote Last day to apply for a postal vote (or change an existing one).
    6. 25 Nov 2026 Proxy vote Last day to apply for a proxy vote, except emergency proxies.
    7. 25 Nov 2026 Voter Authority Certificate Last day to apply for the free photo ID, if you have no other accepted ID.
    8. 27 Nov 2026 Replacement postal packs From this date the council can issue replacement postal packs for lost or spoilt ones.
    9. 3 Dec 2026 Polling day 7am to 10pm.

    • Gosport

      • Hardway By-election · Resignation · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

    • Oldham

      • Royton North By-election · 1 seat · First-past-the-post · photo ID

  6. 10 December 2026

    4 councils · 4 seats

    Next deadline Register to vote · 24 Nov 2026 (in 20 days)

    Full timetable
    1. 5 Nov 2026 Notice of election Latest day the returning officer publishes the notice that starts the election.
    2. 13 Nov 2026 Nominations close Last day for candidates to deliver their nomination papers.
    3. 16 Nov 2026 Candidates published The statement of persons nominated — the final list of candidates on the ballot.
    4. 24 Nov 2026 Register to vote Last day to register to vote in this election.
    5. 25 Nov 2026 Postal vote Last day to apply for a postal vote (or change an existing one).
    6. 2 Dec 2026 Proxy vote Last day to apply for a proxy vote, except emergency proxies.
    7. 2 Dec 2026 Voter Authority Certificate Last day to apply for the free photo ID, if you have no other accepted ID.
    8. 4 Dec 2026 Replacement postal packs From this date the council can issue replacement postal packs for lost or spoilt ones.
    9. 10 Dec 2026 Polling day 7am to 10pm.

41 more ballots were held in the last 60 days — results as they declare are on the live page.

Deadlines are those Democracy Club publishes for each ballot; the timetable shown is for the first ballot that day, and councils on the same day normally share it. Confirm with your council's electoral services.

House of Commons

By-elections
since 2024.

Date Constituency Result Winner Majority Turnout
8 Oct 2026 Holborn and St Pancras Democracy Club Lab hold Sagal Abdi-Wali (45.2%) 3,364 38.8%
13 Aug 2026 Clacton Reform hold Nigel Farage (63.3%) 12,784 44.4%
18 Jun 2026 Makerfield Lab hold Andy Burnham (54.8%) 9,231 58.8%
18 Jun 2026 Arbroath and Broughty Ferry SNP hold Lara Bird (41.2%) 5,178 31.4%
18 Jun 2026 Aberdeen South Con gain from SNP Douglas Lumsden (49.4%) 6,050 38.1%
26 Feb 2026 Gorton and Denton Green gain from Lab Hannah Spencer (40.6%) 4,402 47.6%
1 May 2025 Runcorn and Helsby Reform gain from Lab Sarah Joanne Pochin (38.7%) 6 46.3%

From the House of Commons Library's results database; by-elections it has not loaded yet come from Democracy Club and are flagged, with the turnout they report.

The 10pm rule

No exit polls
before the polls close.

Section 66A of the Representation of the People Act 1983 makes it an offence to publish, before the poll is closed, any statement about how people have voted — or any forecast of the result — based on what voters said after voting. It applies to every parliamentary election and to local government elections in England and Wales. Polling stations close at 10pm.

Read section 66A ↗