General election - what you need to know
You will be able to vote for your MP for the Braintree and Witham constituencies this Thursday 4 July 2024 at polling stations across the district.
Polling station
Your poll card will tell you where your designated polling station is to vote on the day.
You can also find out by entering your postcode on our website.
Polling stations will be open from 7am-10pm.
Don't forget photo ID
Remember you need to bring photo ID with you in order to vote at a polling station on 4 July.
You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version, and not a photocopy or a digital version.
Postal votes
If you have chosen to vote by post but you've run out of time to send it back to us by mail, you can also:
- drop off your postal vote at our offices at Causeway House, Bocking End in Braintree
- or at any polling station operating in your parliamentary constituency area by 10pm on 4 July.
When you return a postal vote pack by hand, you must fill in a form for the pack to be accepted. This is a new requirement, so please don't drop off your envelope and leave as you may have done in the past, or your vote won't count.
The rules have also recently changed on how many postal votes can be handed in by a single person. An individual can return their own postal vote and up to five additional postal votes at this election from family, friends or neighbours.
Candidates and campaigners are not allowed to collect or return postal votes on electors’ behalf.
If you have not received your postal vote or it is lost or damaged
If you have a lost or damaged postal vote or concerned you have not received yours yet, the deadline for a replacement is 5pm on polling day. You will need to contact us by emailing elections@braintree.gov.uk or calling 01376 552525 in advance about any possible replacements.
We know some postal voters are concerned they have not yet received their UK Parliamentary general election ballot pack.
The last batch of postal votes were issued first class on Wednesday 26 June for anyone who applied for a postal vote between 1 June and the 19 June deadline.
Delivery sits with Royal Mail but due to the short notice for the General Election on 4 July, they have been working at capacity to deliver an anticipated 10 million postal votes across the UK.
We will continue to do our best to help postal voters in the days leading up to the poll and will hand deliver to anyone who has contacted us and told us they have not received theirs yet.
Emergency proxy vote
You can no longer apply for a proxy vote for the General Election on 4 July. The deadline was 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.
If you missed the deadline you may be able to apply for an emergency proxy vote.
You have until 5pm on the day of the election to apply.
Parliamentary boundary changes
The parliamentary boundary changes have come into place following the Boundary Commission’s 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England.
6 wards within our district will now come under the Witham parliamentary constituency at the general election, these being:
- Cressing
- Colne Engaine
- Earls Colne
- Pebmarsh
- Stisted
- White Colne
2 wards within our district will now come under the Braintree parliamentary constituency at the general election, these being:
- Black Notley
- Braintree (Hill House)
You can view what parliamentary constituency your ward falls in on the Boundary Commission website.
Candidates
You can find out the candidates standing in the General Election in the statement of persons nominated on our website:
You can visit the ‘Who Can I Vote For?’ website to find out more about candidates in your area.
Results
We'll share the Braintree and Witham constituencies results on our website, as well as our Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) channels.
If you have any questions that have not been covered in this email, take a look at our election page on our website, which have more information and contact details if you need to get in touch.
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