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City could trial voting hubs to improve turnout

Martin HeathBuckinghamshire political reporter
News imageBBC A hand, with a brown jacket visible on the sleeve, holds a folded white ballot paper in his thumb and forefinger. It is just above the slot on a black ballot box. BBC
The hub would allow people from anywhere in Milton Keynes to vote in one centralised station

A city could end up trialling a centralised voting hub in an effort to improve election turnout.

The hub would allow anyone from Milton Keynes City Council's area to vote at one convenient location, which would likely be at Centre:MK or Midsummer Place shopping centres.

Council officials say the facility would "modernise voter experience".

A decision on whether to apply for the pilot - which would be trialled in the May 2026 elections - is due to be made at a council meeting on Wednesday.

Turnout in Milton Keynes has fallen over the last three sets of elections.

The figure of 30.3% for the council poll in 2024 was the lowest percentage recorded in any Milton Keynes election since 2019.

Officials say this figure is only 1% lower than the national average for comparable elections.

The government has suggested four ways councils across England can encourage an increased turnout:

  • Option to vote at any polling station within the council area
  • Centralised voting hubs
  • Mobile polling stations for locations such as care homes and universities
  • Early in-person voting before polling day
News imageMainly single-storey steel and glass shopping centre. There is a paved area in front with metal benches and trees.
Centre MK is the likely location for the voting hub

A report to councillors says that a voting hub would be the best option for Milton Keynes to consider.

It adds that the neighbouring shopping centres of Centre:MK and Midsummer Place would be an ideal location as they are well-known and have "excellent transport links and high footfall".

The hub would:

  • Be open from 07:00 until 22:00 on polling day
  • Serve any registered voter from any part of Milton Keynes
  • Use digital registers to check voter identity

The report adds that the hub would be accessible to people with disabilities and its position in a retail and leisure space could make people less anxious than they would be in traditional polling stations.

News imageGetty Images A voting center in the USA where a woman in a red T-shirt and dark trousers and a man with a blue T-shirt and grey trousers are standing at tables on which are ballot boxes with American flags and the words "I Voted" on the side. There is another table and ballot box to the right, which has a wheelchair symbol attached to it where a man in a blue cap, orange T-shirt and black shorts is sitting.Getty Images
Several states in the USA already have voting centres which cover many different areas

Voting centres, also known as Super Precincts, are already available in many states in the USA.

The first one was established in Larimer County, Colorado, in 2003.

Central government would pay for the trial in Milton Keynes.

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