Voting by post

How does postal voting work?

Your ballot paper, together with a postal vote statement, will be sent to your registered address a week or so before an election.

You will need to provide your date of birth and signature on the statement, complete your vote in the normal way by marking a cross and return the statement and ballot paper in the pre paid envelope provided.

We will then match your date of birth and signature against the details previously supplied on your application form to prevent fraud and to protect your vote. If there is a genuine reason why you cannot provide your normal signature you may be granted a waiver but you will still need to supply your date of birth.

If you decide to register as a postal voter you cannot, under any circumstances, vote in person at a polling station. However, you can hand deliver your postal vote to the polling station on polling day.

Applying to vote by post

If you are already registered to vote you can download a postal vote application form here.

Alternatively you can contact us for an application form. We will then send you a postal vote application form in the post.

On this form you will need to supply your signature and date of birth. These will act as your 'Personal Identifiers' and help prevent fraud.

If you wish to apply for a new postal vote or change an existing postal vote, requests must be received no later than 5pm 11 working days before polling day.

Requesting a postal vote to a different address

If you want your ballot paper sent to a different address you will need to contact us no later than 5pm 11 working days before polling day.

Postal votes can be sent to an address outside of the UK, but you should bear in mind the length of time taken to deliver and return your voting papers in time for the election.