Renewing your postal voting arrangements
Following changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, postal voters are now required to reapply for their postal vote up to every three years.
All postal voters who made their postal vote application before 31 January 2024 were required to reapply for their postal vote by 31 January 2026. If an approved application was not received by 31 January 2026, we are required by law to cancel your postal vote, and you will be reverted to vote in a polling station until a new postal vote application is received.
We are currently contacting electors whose postal vote has been removed due to this.
Electors whose postal vote has been removed, will be reverted to voting in person at a polling station. To vote in a polling station you are now required to bring in an accepted form of photo ID on the day.
If you have received a postal vote removal letter and wish to reapply for a postal vote
The quickest and easiest way to reapply for a postal vote is online.
Apply for a postal vote
As part of your application, you will be required to provide your:
- Date of birth
- your National Insurance number or other identity documents, for example a passport
- an image of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you need my national insurance number?
You must prove your identity as part of the application process.
Your National Insurance Number (NINO) will be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If this identity check fails, you must provide evidence of your identity.
Get help to Find your National Insurance number - GOV.UK here.
Your national insurance number will appear on letters and communications sent to you by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), such as a pension statement. They sometimes refer to this as 'Your Reference'.
National Insurance numbers all have the same format, which is two letters of the alphabet, followed by 6 numbers followed by another letter. For example, AB123456C.
Your National Insurance number is not your National Health Service (NHS) number.
If you are unable to provide your national insurance number, you will be asked for extra documents to identify you.
I can't sign consistently, what can I do?
If you are unable to provide a signature or a consistent signature but still want to vote by post, you can apply for a postal vote without giving your signature. You can do this online at Apply for a postal vote - GOV.UK . You will be required to provide a reason why you are unable to provide a consistent signature.
If you have had help completing the application, that person will be required to supply their details.
If you prefer to complete a paper application, please contact us by phone or email and request a waiver declaration to be sent to you. The waiver declaration needs to be returned with your postal vote application form.
How to upload a signature online?
You can find information here How to upload your signature - Apply for a postal vote - GOV.UK.
What are my personal identifiers and how they are used?
On your application to vote by post you must provide your date of birth and signature (your 'personal identifiers'). When you vote by post you complete and return a statement giving your personal identifiers. We check the personal identifiers on your statement against those you gave on your application to check that they match. If they do not match, your vote cannot be counted. This is to prevent someone else from using your vote.
Your personal identifiers are always kept separate from your ballot paper, so no-one knows how you have voted.
When is the next scheduled election?
The next scheduled election will be the local government elections which will be held on Thursday 7 May 2026.
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