Voting by post
If you are registered to vote, you can apply to vote by post if you are unable to attend the polling station to vote. You can apply to have a postal vote for a single election, for a fixed period, or on a permanent basis.
If you choose to vote by post your ballot papers are posted directly to your home address approximately two weeks before the election. It is possible to have your ballot papers delivered to an address other than your home address provided that you state the reason for this.
If you want to have your postal vote sent overseas (for example, if you will be working overseas), please consider the reliability of the local postal service before applying.
When you apply to vote by post, you will need to provide your date of birth and a sample signature. You will be required to provide this same information when you receive your postal voting pack. If you are unable to provide a consistent signature on your application, please contact us on 023 9283 4074 for further advice.
Once you receive your postal vote
When you receive your postal voting pack, simply mark your vote on the ballot paper, complete the postal vote statement with your date of birth and signature and then post this back to us as quickly as possible. You should complete your postal vote yourself in secret and should not allow anyone else to interfere with your postal vote.
We must receive your completed postal vote by 10pm on election day for it to be counted.
If you wish to vote by post, please note that your application must be received by 5pm on the 11th working day before the election. You can download the form at the bottom of this page. We would advise applying as early as possible to ensure that you receive your postal vote in good time; you don’t need to wait for an election to be announced before applying.
If you apply to vote by post you will not be able to vote in person at the polling station.
