Election Timetable
The first general election to the Network Assembly will be held on Thursday 3 December 2026. The timetable below was fixed by the Elections Commission of the Velocity Interoperability Network on 6 September 2026 and published in the Newsroom on the same day. Dates in the timetable are fixed by reference to polling day and will not change unless the poll is postponed.
The timetable brings together the dates that matter to electors, which are also explained on the How to Vote and Electoral Register pages, and those that matter to candidates and lists, which are explained on the Standing for Election page.
| Stage | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional electoral register published | Sunday 6 September 2026 | Open for inspection from Monday 7 September. |
| First register update published | Thursday 1 October 2026 | Applications received by 25 September. |
| Notice of election published | Friday 16 October 2026 | Nomination papers available from returning officers. |
| Close of nominations | Friday 30 October 2026, 16:00 | Constituency candidates and Network lists. |
| Statement of persons nominated published | Monday 2 November 2026 | Together with the notice of poll. |
| Second register update published | Monday 2 November 2026 | Applications received by 27 October. |
| Deadline to register to vote | Friday 13 November 2026, 23:59 | For the first general election. |
| Election register published; poll cards sent | Monday 16 November 2026 | By email to every registered elector. |
| Deadline to apply for a postal vote | Wednesday 18 November 2026, 23:59 | Postal ballot packs sent from Friday 20 November. |
| Deadline to apply for a proxy vote | Wednesday 25 November 2026, 23:59 | Emergency proxies until 17:00 on polling day. |
| Polling day | Thursday 3 December 2026, 07:00 to 22:00 | 58 polling stations in twelve constituencies. |
| Constituency counts and declarations | From 22:00 on 3 December 2026 | Declarations expected from the early hours of 4 December. |
| Allocation of Network list seats declared | Friday 4 December 2026 | Once every constituency result is declared. |
| Full results and turnout published | Monday 7 December 2026 | On this site and in the Newsroom. |
| Deadline for election petitions | Monday 21 December 2026 | Fourteen days from the publication of results. |
Where a deadline falls at a time of day, applications received after that time are not accepted for the election, however they were sent. Deadlines stated without a time run to 23:59. The Commission acknowledges every application by email; an application that has not been acknowledged within two working days should be treated as not received and sent again.
The campaign period. The campaign period runs from the publication of the notice of election on 16 October 2026 to the close of poll. During the campaign period candidates and lists must observe the rules on campaign material, expenses and conduct set out in the guidance issued to candidates. The dates below concern candidates, lists and their agents.
| Stage | Date | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Nomination papers issued | 16 October 2026 | Returning officers |
| Appointment of election agents | By 30 October 2026 | Candidates and lists |
| Appointment of polling and counting agents | By 26 November 2026 | Candidates and lists |
| Copies of the election register supplied to agents | 16 November 2026 | Returning officers |
| Return of campaign expenses | By 15 January 2027 | Election agents |
| Publication of expense returns | February 2027 | The Commission |
Postponement. The poll may be postponed only by order of the Commission, and only where it cannot safely or fairly be held on the appointed day. Any postponement, and the revised timetable that follows from it, would be announced in the Newsroom and notified by email to every registered elector.
Questions about the timetable may be sent to contact@elections.gov.vin. The stages of the count and declaration are described on the Results page.