Following a boundary review, all current Carlisle City Council wards will change at the 2019 election. The Boundary Commission’s final recommendations were that Carlisle should be represented by 39 city councillors in the future: thirteen fewer than the current arrangement. The recommendations also propose that those councillors should represent 13 three-councillor wards.
About one-third of the total number of Councillors retires each year, except every fourth year when Cumbria County Council elections take place. County Councillors also serve for four years but all retire at the same time. The next County elections are in 2021.
Parish Council elections follow the cycle of elections in the rural wards of the City.
Parliamentary general elections must be held at least once every five years. The last general election was in June 2017.
Postal Votes
You can choose to vote by post instead of voting in person at a polling station. You do not have to give a reason, but you must be on the Register of Electors and you need to apply in writing. You can have a postal vote for just one election or for as long as you would like. Postal votes can be sent to addresses in the UK or abroad.
Download a postal vote application form the Downloadable documents section.
An alternative way to vote if you are unable to get to the polling station is to appoint someone else to vote for you, called a proxy.
Proxy voting
As an alternative to postal voting, you can appoint someone to vote on your behalf (proxy voting).
If you already have a postal vote and wish to change to a proxy you must tell us by 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.
The deadline for new proxy applications to be received by the elections office is 5pm, six working days before an election.
You can apply for a permanent proxy vote if:
- you have a permanent physical incapacity, are registered blind or receive the higher rate of mobility component of the disability living allowance
- your work frequently takes you away from home.
The permanent application form requires a signed declaration, from either a doctor, nurse or warden of a home, or in the case of work your employer.
Proxy vote application forms can be found in the Downloadable Documents section.
Write to:
Electoral Registration Officer
Governance Directorate
Civic Centre
Carlisle
CA3 8QG