Cambridge local elections 2024: What to do if you forgot to send your postal vote back

Anyone who has forgotten to send their postal vote back ahead of the local elections this week (Thursday, May 2) can still make sure their vote is counted. While many people will be heading to polling stations to vote in person, others will have already cast their vote through the post.

People who registered to vote through the post will have been sent their ballot paper ahead of election day in order to fill it out and send it back before the polls close. Anyone who has not yet mailed their postal vote back can still make sure it is included in the county by taking it to a polling station by 10pm on the election day.

Alternatively, people can take it to the relevant electoral registration office before it closes on election day. If the ballot paper has been damaged people will need to get a replacement one, which can also be collected from their relevant electoral registration office. This year there are three sets of elections taking place in Cambridgeshire, including at Cambridge City Council, Peterborough City Council, and for the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Read more: All the candidates standing in Cambridge local elections 2024

Read more: All the candidates in the running to be the next Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner

The city councils are responsible for providing a number of services including waste collection, running leisure facilities, providing council housing, and making planning decisions. In Peterborough, the city council is also a unitary authority, which means it has additional responsibilities such as road maintenance, social care, and education.

People across the county will also be asked to vote for who they want to be the next PCC. The role of the elected PCC is to hold the Chief Constable and the county’s police force to account. They are also expected to work in partnership across a range of agencies, both regionally and nationally, to make sure there is a coordinated approach to preventing and reducing crime.