Central Scotland

Voting by Post

Introduction

If you can’t make the polling station in person, you can apply for a postal vote, that is where your ballot paper(s) will be sent to you by post in advance of polling day.

The upcoming UK Parliamentary Election deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 19th June 2024.

Existing postal voters plus new applications processed by 6th June 2024 (you will have received a confirmation from us)

  • Your postal vote pack will be sent out on Monday 17th June if you are an overseas elector or Wednesday 19th June if you live in the UK.

Applications processed after that date and received before 5pm Wednesday 19th June 2024 will be in the 2nd posting.

  • Your postal vote pack will be sent out on Wednesday 26th June if you are an overseas elector and if you live in the UK.

Changes

There have been changes to voting by post from the 31st October 2023. Applicable to the following elections

  • UK Parliamentary Elections and By-Elections
  • Recall Petitions

You can now apply to vote by post online and will require to prove your identity.

This does not apply to Scottish Elections. These being the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Local Government where the rules haven’t changed. 

Therefore the rules are different for each type of election and separate applications processes are required.

Details of how to complete this process is below.

UK Parliament Elections

  • You can apply for a maximum of 3 years and you will require to reapply/renew before the the 31st January on the year of expiry.
  • You also will need your national insurance number (or documentary evidence) as part of the application process.

Scottish Elections (Scottish Parliament and Scottish Local Government)

  • You can apply for an unlimited period, but you will be required to refresh your signature every 5 years in the January of your anniversary.
  • There is no requirement for a National Insurance Number for these types of election.

For more detail, check our our Absent Vote Frequently Asked Question Page.

  • What if I’m going on holiday before my vote is likely to arrive?
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    If you applied for a postal vote and don’t think you’ll be home to return it by post on Thursday 4 July, you can drop your completed postal vote pack in to your polling station. You must complete a form when you hand it in.

    If you won’t be back in time to use your postal vote, you can instead appoint someone you trust as a proxy to vote on your behalf. You will need to

    • cancel your postal vote by 17:00 on Wednesday 19 June. This will happen automatically when you appoint a proxy, but you can contact us to talk about other options to cancel.
    • make a proxy application by 17:00 on Wednesday 26 June
    • the person you appoint as a proxy must:
      • be a registered parliamentary elector who can vote in this election.
      • only be a proxy for up to two electors living in the UK, plus up to two people living abroad, or up to four people living abroad.
    • Your proxy can:
      • vote in person on your behalf at your polling station. They will have to show their own accepted form of photo ID to be able to vote or
      • vote by post for you but must apply for a proxy postal vote by 17:00 on Wednesday 19 June.
  • How do I apply for a Postal Vote as a UK or Commonwealth Citizen?
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    To apply to vote  will depend on what kind of election you are entitled to vote in. You must also be registered to vote.

    If not registered please first register to vote at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

    For your UK Parliament vote you can apply to vote by post online on the Government’s website – Apply for a postal vote – Alternatively you can use a paper form.

    For the Scottish Parliament and Local Government Elections you will require to complete a paper form.

    Forms

    https://www.saa.gov.uk/central/electoral-registration-downloadable-forms/

    Apply Online for a Postal Vote
  • How do I apply for a Postal Vote if I am not a UK or Commonwealth Citizen?
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    If you are not a British or Commonwealth citizen and are registered in Scotland, then you will only be able to vote in Scottish Elections.

    You can apply to vote in Scottish Elections by post by downloading and printing a devolved application form from our forms page.

    If you can’t print, you can request a form to be sent out to you by using this Online Contact Form.

     

  • How do I apply for a Postal Vote as a British Citizen living overseas?
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    If you are a British Citizen living overseas and have registered as such, then you can apply to vote by post by going online to Apply for a postal vote

    Remember you will require your National Insurance number to apply.

    Alternatively you can download and print a paper application from our Forms Page.