Written by Thomas Worth
While the focus has been on the 30 councils who saw their elections delayed and then undelayed at short notice, it might be easy to miss some of the positive changes coming up for local elections. The 2026 local elections look promising when it comes to new democratic innovations.
The government has partnered with 4 local authorities across the country to launch flexible voting pilots. These councils, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, North Hertfordshire and Tunbridge Wells, will allow voters to try out new ways to cast their ballots, in schemes designed to inform future decisions about how we all vote.
Early voting trials
For people with busy lives or complex caring responsibilities, it can be hard to get to the polling station. What if there were more options?
For Cambridge, North Hertfordshire and Tunbridge Wells, this will take the form of early voting in hubs. This means that voters will have the option to go to a central hub, rather than their assigned polling station, and will be able to cast their vote in the days preceding election day on Thursday, 7th May.
This will include the weekend, allowing voters to cast their ballot at a time that fits their schedule. In town picking up some shopping? Why not pop in and cast your ballot. The hubs themselves will take the form of centrally located notable buildings in the local area, for example, the Guildhall in Cambridge.
This is not the first time similar schemes have been piloted in the UK. In May 2022, Wales piloted early voting, with a report into the findings of the pilot being published a few months later. The report found promising results with 1.5% of voters turning out early in Bridgend, where 20 polling stations allowed early voting in traditionally low turnout wards.
Outside of the UK, early voting is a common practice. In fact, the government identifies 60 countries in which some voters are allowed to vote before election day. Recent years have shown how impactful early voting can be in terms of turnout, giving voters a better chance to have their say in crucial elections.
In Canada, the 2025 Federal Election saw unprecedented levels of early voting, with 7.3 million people voting in advance out of the 19.6 million who voted. This election also saw a large increase in turnout, helped by the flexibility afforded to voters.
Findings from elections in New Zealand also follow a similar pattern. A study of early voting in the 2017 New Zealand election found that early voting increased turnout by 7.6%. Crucially, early voting was found to be most effective in increasing turnout in areas with ‘low turnout culture’, with the study concluding that early voting is one way in helping to attract population groups that do not vote.
New central voting locations
In Milton Keynes, the scheme will also take the form of a central voting hub where voters can choose to vote in the city’s main shopping centre. However, they will not be able to vote in advance of election day.
Say you were planning on voting on the way into town, but are delayed? Residents of Milton Keynes will have the option to pop out at lunch and vote centrally or try and vote at their normal polling station on the way home.
This pilot will give voters, who live busy modern lives, the opportunity to have their say in a more convenient and accessible way, something the ERS has called for in the past.
Voting Should Fit Around our Modern Lives
This, therefore, is an important pilot, with the government itself acknowledging that the way we vote at the polling booth has not changed since 1872. The schemes being trialled better reflect the realities of modern living and will give voters a better chance to engage with democracy. Importantly, similar schemes have already achieved positive results both at home and abroad and will help to improve the health of our democracy if rolled out more widely.
While these pilots are welcome, it is crucial that the government engages with the findings of the report, due to be published in the latter half of 2026. Similar pilots occurred from 2000 to 2007, including trials of electronic voting and early voting. After years of trials, the government ultimately failed to decide on a future direction for early voting. Instead, they merely acknowledged the call from the Electoral Commission for it to come to a decision about implementing early voting and delayed a decision.
While these trials may be limited this year, we hope that in the future, both early and hub voting will be rolled out more widely across the UK so that voters are given more opportunities to play their part in the democratic process. Ultimately, voting needs to be built around people’s lives; time constraints should not prevent people from exercising their democratic right.
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