Milton Keynes City Council councillors will decide later this month if residents should have the option to vote before polling day or, for the second time, at a central voting hub in the next city and parish council elections in May.
Earlier this year, Milton Keynes was the only city in the UK to pilot a pioneering voting hub on election day. Government has agreed that, subject to approval by Full Council on 18 November, the city will be part of an expanded initiative in May 2027 (and will be the only place from the original pilot to return).
If agreed, local people will be able to vote during the week before the elections at one of two early voting hubs, including one at the busy Milton Keynes University Hospital, and a central voting hub will return on polling day itself. The scheme aims to make voting simpler, more convenient, and easier to fit around everyday life.
The plans build on the success of the city's voting hub at Midsummer Place during the full city council elections earlier this year, which allowed people from anywhere in Milton Keynes to cast their vote securely while going about their day.
Under the latest proposals, residents would be able to vote at dedicated early voting hubs on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before polling day, giving people greater flexibility around work, family life and other commitments. One hub would be located at Milton Keynes University Hospital, with a second based in the city centre. Milton Keynes University Hospital has around 5,000 staff and thousands of visitors using the hospital site each day, making it an ideal early voting location for people who may otherwise find it tricky to vote in person. Opening hours would be designed to accommodate a variety of shift patterns and working hours.
A third of Milton Keynes City Council seats will be contested in May 2027, alongside parish and town council elections in many parts of the city.
Under the proposed arrangements, voters would be checked electronically when they are issued with a ballot paper, with records updated in real time across all voting locations. This means each person can only vote once, whether they choose to vote early, at the city centre hub or at their usual polling station, and can only vote for the ward in which they are registered. The same approach applied to the city elections earlier this year, where operations ran smoothly and securely.
"Milton Keynes has a proud track record of innovation, and our voting hub earlier this year showed how voting can be made easier to fit around modern life. We're pleased to be building on that success with proposals that could give residents more opportunities to have their say in the elections that shape their local area."
"As one of the largest employers in Milton Keynes and a place that thousands of people from every part of our community visit each week, we are proud to play a part in making voting as accessible as possible. Hospitals are at the heart of the communities they serve and this initiative will make it easier for our staff and local residents to exercise the right to vote."