The Combined Northern Ireland Assembly and Local Council elections are scheduled for Thursday 6 May 2027. As the two elections take place on the same day, arrangements have been designed to make voting straightforward.
Regulations were laid before Parliament on 26 October 2026 to enable the two elections to be combined. These are subject to approval by Parliament. Read The Northern Ireland Elections (Combined Polls 2027) Regulations 2026
The Electoral Office is working with 11 local councils, Electoral Commission and partners to run the elections. This page provides an overview of the plan.
What this means for voters
Under the rules all eligible voters can vote in both elections and will:
receive 1 Poll Card, with details of their Polling Place;
attend 1 Polling Place to vote in both elections;
receive 2 ballot papers: a white ballot paper for the Assembly and a yellow ballot paper for the Council election; and
place completed ballot papers in 1 large ballot box at their Polling Station.
These arrangements mean voters will be able to cast both their votes in a single visit to their polling place. Voters should check their poll card to confirm their Polling Place and the forms of ID they require. This information will also be available on the Electoral Office website.
Completing the two ballot papers in the Polling Booth
Poll staff will issue two ballot papers and explain procedures, instructions will also be displayed in polling booths. Both elections use Single Transferable Vote and voters must use numbers to show preferences on each ballot paper separately.
On the white Assembly ballot paper, voters should:
Mark a 1 beside their first preferred Assembly candidate.
Mark a 2 beside their second preferred Assembly candidate.
and so on, for as many candidates as they wish.
On the yellow Council ballot paper voters should start again:
Mark a 1 beside their first preferred Council candidate.
Mark a 2 beside their second preferred Council candidate.
and so on, for as many candidates as they wish.
Both completed white and yellow ballot papers should be placed in the ballot box at their Polling Station. The Electoral Commission is planning a public awareness campaign and a household information booklet.
Count Arrangements
Counting votes for the two elections is a large task, involving counts for the 18 Assembly areas and 11 local councils. All ballot boxes will be returned to the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn and Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt. Verification of the Assembly and Council ballots papers is scheduled for Friday 7 May 2027. The verified Assembly votes will then be sorted and counted using the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) method. Council ballot papers will be stored securely before the Council counts begin on Monday 10 May at Council counting venues. The planned timetable is:
Date | Planned Verification / Count activity |
Friday 7 May | Verification of Assembly & Council ballots Assembly STV count begins |
Saturday 8 May | Assembly STV count continues |
Monday 10 May | Council STV counts begin |
Tuesday 11 May | Council STV counts continue |
Assembly results are expected on Friday 7 & Saturday 8 May. Council results are expected on Monday 10 & Tuesday 11 May.
Further information
The Northern Ireland Elections (Combined Polls 2027) Regulations 2026 set out the election timetable. This includes nomination, postal and proxy voting arrangements, the counting of votes and timelines. The Electoral Office will publish an operational plan by the end of the year, setting out more details of arrangements for the Combined Northern Ireland Assembly and Local Council elections. Additional guidance for voters, candidates, election agents and the media will be published as preparations progress.
Electoral Office 27 October 2026