Postal Voting at UK Parliamentary Elections
The way you apply for a postal vote for UK Parliamentary elections has now changed. You must now reapply for a postal vote every 3 years.
If you currently have a postal vote for UK Parliamentary elections and you applied before 31 October 2023, this postal vote is due to expire on 31 January 2026.
We are contacting all postal voters that are affected to invite them to reapply for their postal vote now.
You can reapply for your postal vote online.
Why are we contacting you
The Elections Act 2022 introduced the following legislative changes to the way electors applied for a postal vote for UK Parliamentary elections: –
- Postal vote applications must now contain the electors name, address, national insurance number, date of birth and signature (or a reason why a consistent signature cannot be provided).
- The applicant’s identity must be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If the identity check is unsuccessful the applicant can provide documentary evidence to verify their identity.
- Postal votes are now valid for a maximum period of three years.
To continue voting by post at UK Parliamentary elections, all electors that made an application prior to 31 October 2023 must reapply for a postal vote by 31 January 2026.
Due to the large volume of current UK Parliamentary postal voters due to expire on 31 January 2026 in Lothian we are contacting electors to inform them of the reapplication process.
How will we contact you
We are writing to all UK Parliamentary postal voters with an expiry date of 31 January 2026.
If you have previously provided an email address as a contact method you will have received an email confirming the expiry date of your postal vote and how you can reapply.
If we do not hold email address details for you we will issue a letter by post.
Should you wish to continue as a postal voter at UK Parliamentary elections please go online to reapply for a postal vote.
Further Information
Please contact our office if: –
- You no longer wish to vote by post.
- You would like to receive a paper postal vote application form by post.
Please note, the expiry of a UK Parliamentary postal vote will not affect any postal vote that remains in place for Scottish Parliament and local council elections. The next scheduled Scottish Parliamentary election is on Thursday 7 May 2026.
For more information about postal voting please visit the Absent Voting section of our website.