By-elections and Casual Vacancies

Casual vacancies

There are currently no casual vacancies for Vale of White Horse District Council.

By-elections

Abingdon-on-Thames: Dunmore ward – 29 October 2026

Please note that the Town Council have requested poll cards not be issued for this by-election.

Key dates:

~~Nomination period – 10am on 24 September to 4pm on 2 October 2026~~
Registration deadline – midnight on 13 October 2026
Postal vote application or amendment deadline – 5pm on 14 October 2026
Postal ballot pack mailing date – 19 October 2026 (estimated)
Proxy vote application or amendment deadline – 5pm on 21 October 2026
Voter Authority Certificate application deadline – 5pm on 21 October 2026
Lost or spoilt postal ballot paper re-issues – 23 October to 5pm on 29 October 2026
Day of poll – 7am to 10pm on 29 October 2026

Expense returns – for candidates

The candidate expenses limit document is available here.

Please ensure that after close of poll an expenses return is completed and returned to the Electoral Services office by 26 November 2026. A return is required even if you have not incurred any expenses. The relevant forms and guidance are available here.

What is a by-election?

By-elections can occur in any division, ward or parish if a serving councillor resigns, dies or is disqualified, thereby creating a ‘casual vacancy’.

When a casual vacancy arises, the relevant council must publish a “Notice of Vacancy”. If a by-election is to be held, requests to fill the vacancy must be made in writing to the Returning Officer, fulfilling the criteria below:

For a district council vacancy a request for an election must have the signatures of two electors registered within the District.
For a parish or town council vacancy a request for an election must have the signatures of ten electors registered within the parish or parish ward (where warded), to be received before the deadline stated in the Notice of Vacancy.

The Returning Officer for Vale of White Horse District Council is Adrianna Partridge.

If a sufficient number of requests are received, a Notice of Election will be published including the proposed date of poll, which signals the beginning of the nominations period. If we receive more nominations for the vacancy than the number of seats available, a poll will be held. A Notice of Poll will subsequently be published and advertised on our website and at our council offices in Abingdon.

The candidate elected at the poll will then serve the remainder of the term in office until the next election.

However, if a vacancy occurs within six months of the date of the next scheduled elections, the vacancy is carried over to the next elections. The seat will remain vacant during that time and no by-election will be held.

What happens if no candidates are nominated?

If we do not receive any candidate nominations for a by-election, the by-election must be re-run until we receive either the exact number of nominations to fill the vacant position(s), or receive more nominations than are required.

If we receive the exact number of nominations to fill the vacant position(s), the candidates are elected uncontested.