Postal voters in Calderdale may need to reapply to continue to vote by post in future elections.
Following changes introduced by the government’s Elections Act 2022, postal voters now need to reapply to vote by post every three years.
All postal voters who completed a postal vote application form before 31 October 2023 will be required to renew their postal vote application no later than 31 January 2026. Postal votes will be limited to a maximum of three years, following which it will be necessary to make a new application.
Calderdale Council is contacting around 30,000 registered postal voters in the borough directly by email or by post informing them of the new rules and encouraging them to reapply as soon as possible ahead of the deadline.
It is possible that two members of the same household will receive their renewal invitation at different times, depending on when the original applications were made and whether an email address has been made available.
The quickest and easiest way to renew a postal vote application is to reapply online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote(external link)
As part of the changes introduced by the government, all postal vote applications must contain the applicant’s name, address, date of birth, national insurance number and signature.
Their identity will be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If this check fails, the applicant must provide further evidence of their identity.
Calderdale Council’s Returning Officer, Robin Tuddenham, said:
“Changes to the government’s Elections Act mean that it’s now necessary for people to reapply for a postal vote every three years. Those who last applied before October 2023 will soon by contacted by our elections team to remind them that they need to reapply if they want to continue to vote by post in future elections.
“We are using emails to reduce the cost of obtaining information from our residents. Please help us by responding to our request for information as soon as possible.
“Remember that you don’t have to wait for us to contact you; you can reapply or submit a new application for a postal vote, at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote(external link).”
Email messages will come from electoral.services.calderdale@notifications.service.gov.uk, and will be titled: ‘Postal Vote Expiry – New Application required by 31st January 2026’. The process can also be accessed via the government website at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote(external link).
If anyone is unable to complete the application online, paper copies of the application form can be downloaded via Apply for a postal vote – paper form – GOV.UK(external link)
Anyone who does not respond to this round of messaging will receive another invitation to do so, closer to the postal vote expiry date of 31 January 2026. If they do not reapply by the expiry date their postal vote will be cancelled.ENDS