Apply for a Postal Vote
The way you apply for a Postal vote has changed, you can now apply directly on the gov.uk website.
Postal vote
From 2 May 2024, there will be restrictions on the handing in of postal votes:
- A new criminal offence to stop political parties and campaigners handling certain completed postal voting pack
- Voters should make every attempt to post their voting pack in a Royal Mail post box or post office in good time for it to be received before 10pm on polling day
- Voters will not be allowed to hand in more than five postal voting packs (in addition to their own) at a polling station or a council office per election that is taking place
- A declaration form will need to be completed by the person handing in any postal voting packs to ensure they meet the new requirements
- The declaration form must be completed in full otherwise the postal voting packs being hand delivered could all be rejected
- If postal voting packs are handed in without a declaration form being completed they will be classed as “left behind” and rejected
Reapplying for a postal vote
Following changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, postal voters are now required to reapply for their postal vote every three years.
All postal voters who made their current application on or before 30 January 2024 are required to reapply for their postal vote by 31 January 2026. If a new application is not received by this date the Electoral Registration Officer is required by law to cancel the postal vote, and electors will have to vote in a polling station until a new postal vote application is received or if a proxy is appointed.
To vote in a polling station all electors are now required to bring in an accepted form of photo ID on the day.
We will be contacting all those affected by this change in the coming weeks explaining how to reapply and have started the process early for applications to be processed and queries responded to in sufficient time.
We will be sending an initial email to all electors we hold an email address for, which will be sent from Thanet District Council.
All other postal voters affected, for whom we do not hold an email, will receive a letter which will contain information on what to do next.
The quickest and easiest way to re-apply for a postal vote.
As part of your application, you will be required to provide your:
- Date of birth
- National Insurance Number
- Upload a photo or scanned copy of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper
The Elections Act 2022 introduced the following changes for voters who applied for a postal vote after 31 October 2023:
- Electors can now apply online.
- Electors must prove their identity as part of the application process. Your identity 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.
- Postal vote applications are now valid for a maximum period of three years and a new application must be made at the end of that time.
You can have your postal vote sent to any address you want, so long as you have told us in advance. People living overseas can have their postal vote sent to them, but they may not be able to get it back in time to be counted in the election (overseas voters may be better applying for a proxy vote by appointing someone to vote for them).
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If you have not received your ballot paper by the fourth working day before election day, you can ask us to give you a replacement ballot paper – but we can only do this up to 5pm on the day of the election. We will ask you for proof of identity. Because of the short timescale and the need for proof of identity, you will normally have to come to the council offices to collect a replacement ballot paper
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If you fill in your ballot paper incorrectly and you want us to replace it you must contact us and bring it to the council offices, together with all the other documents we sent with it, and ask us to give you a new ballot paper. You must do this by 5pm on the day of the election at the latest. You may not have time to send it back by post.
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Yes, but you must tell us in writing. We need to receive this at least 11 days before an election or you will still get your postal vote and not be able to vote at a polling station at that election.
PermalinkYou can spot a genuine email from us as:
- the email title will be Postal Vote reapplication
- the sender will be from – Electoral Services, Thanet District Council
Some members of the same household may be contacted in different ways depending on whether we have an email address or not.
We are using emails where a voter has provided an email address to reduce our carbon footprint and to reduce the cost of sending letters by post.
Please help us by responding as soon as possible.
PermalinkYou can apply for a postal vote
As part of your application, you will be required to provide your:
- Date of birth
- National Insurance Number
- Upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper
If you are unable to complete your application online you can download a paper application form in England. You can also request a paper application form by emailing electoral.services@thanet.gov.uk or call electoral services on 01843 577500.
PermalinkIf 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. Apply for a postal vote.
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.
PermalinkFind out how to upload your signature.
PermalinkYou 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.
If you are unable to provide your National Insurance Number, you’ll need to provide some documents so that we can confirm your identity.
PermalinkCancellation of postal votes must be made in writing, and this can be done by email to electoral.services@thanet.gov.uk or by letter to:
Electoral Services
Thanet District Council
PO Box 9
Cecil Street
Margate
CT9 1XZ
Your correspondence must include your full name and address.
Be aware that if you are no longer a postal voter, you now need to take an accepted form of photo ID with you to vote in a polling station. For more information visit the voter ID page on the Electoral Commission website.
PermalinkOn your application to vote by post you must provide your date of birth and signature, these are your “personal identifiers”.
When you vote by post you are required to complete and return a statement giving your personal identifiers. These are then checked against those you gave on your application to check that they match. If they do not match, your vote will not be counted and your postal vote rejected.
This is a security measure 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.
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