Background
The Elections Act 2022 Tranche two measures introduced the ability for online absent vote applications via a central government portal in October 2023. In addition to the online portal, an identity check prior to accepting an absent vote application was introduced. This means residents applying for a postal or proxy vote must now supply their national insurance number, date of birth and signature to successfully apply. Before the application can be approved, the national insurance number is sent to the department for work and pensions to check the applicant’s identity. If accepted, then can they be issued with an absent vote.
If for any reason the applicant fails, the identity check or they cannot provide their national insurance number they must then supply further evidence of their identity (such as a passport or driving licence). The roll out of the Online Absent Vote Application portal has been successful and most new applicants have been using the portal. The ability to apply by paper application remains, however the number of paper applications has significantly dropped.
The final stage of the tranche two measures of the Elections Act requires all existing postal voters who have not yet re-applied under the new scheme since it was introduced in 2023, to reapply prior to 31 January 2026. If postal voters do not re-apply by this date, their postal vote will be cancelled.
Each Electoral Registration Officer across the country must contact all postal voters to advise them to re-apply prior to the 31 January. In Uttlesford this affects approximately 9,000 postal voters. Anyone who has applied for a postal vote since the changes were introduced will not be required to re-apply.
Next steps
Given the large volume of residents who will need to re-apply in our area, the Electoral Services Team began the re-application project from March 2025 to give voters the maximum amount of time to re-apply to avoid their postal vote being cancelled ahead of elections in May 2026.
It is vital that we support voters in understanding the new rules to avoid seeing many postal votes cancelled due to no response.
Communications
The Electoral Services and Communications team will ensure that a full communications plan is in place to maximise engagement with the project via social media channels. The communications plan will begin in March 2025 to raise awareness of the requirements and continue until the project has concluded.
Risks
Unfortunately, the new system introduced by the Government in 2023 has drastically increased the processing time for paper applications, this currently takes around 7 minutes per application. Given the large volume of residents, we need to reach, if we see a large number applying by paper, this will cause significant pressure on the Electoral Services Team.
Additionally, residents that reside in care facilities such as care homes, assisted living or mental health support services often do not have access to their national insurance number so will be required to provide copies of their identity documents to retain their postal vote. We are working closely with partners to understand how we can support their residents through this process.
In May 2024 postal votes equated to 15% of the overall vote share. If we were to see a large drop in the number of postal voters as they have not responded to letters and reminders this could lead to a lower turnout at future elections and potentially a surge in re-applications during the busy election timetable period which will increase pressure not only on the Electoral Services Team but also our print providers and Royal Mail. If we see a large number re-applying during the election timeline, they will be in the second issue of postal votes which can be issued as late as one week prior to poll.
It is vital that we ensure voters respond to the letters and engage with the project to prevent people being disenfranchised due to the new requirements.
What does this mean for you?
- Local councillors are uniquely placed to engage with voters, and we are asking for your support to raise awareness of the new rules
- Support voters in understanding the new requirements
- Signpost voters to the Electoral Services team for further support
- Remind voters that they must re-apply under the new scheme, or their postal vote will be cancelled
- Encourage voters to use the online service via social media platforms and not paper applications to help save on resources and reduce pressure on the elections team.
If you have any queries regarding the postal vote re-application project, please contact the Electoral Services Manager, Phil Hardy phardy@uttlesford.gov.uk or call 01799 510434.
Postal Vote Application – www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
See our website for further information Postal vote re-application process 2025 – Uttlesford District Council