News Renew Your Postal Vote
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is reminding residents who vote by post that, due to changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, postal votes are no longer permanent and must be renewed every three years.
For any residents who applied for a postal vote before 31 January 2024, they must reapply by 31 January 2026 to ensure that their postal vote is valid and ready for future elections.
If you want to continue to vote by post it is better to renew now than to react and reapply by the registration deadlines if an election is called. In Maidstone, more than 12,500 people need to renew their postal vote by the end of the month, or they face losing it.
Angela Woodhouse, Returning Officer for MBC, said:
Renewing your postal vote is an easy process and well worth the effort to ensure that when the time comes, your voice is heard.Thank you to the thousands of residents who have already acted. We want to ensure that everyone who needs to renew their postal vote does so by the end of January.
Residents whose postal vote is due to expire will have received a letter by email or post, with instructions on how to renew. If postal votes are not renewed by the deadline, they will be cancelled. If your postal vote is cancelled, you will need to make a new application or you will need to vote in person at a polling station.
To renew your postal vote quickly and easily, you can apply online. You will need:
- Your date of birth
- Your National Insurance number
- A photo or scan of your signature (written on plain paper in black ink)
Your identity will be verified against Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records. If this check fails, you may be asked to provide additional evidence.
A letter has been sent by post with a postal vote application form to all postal voters who are due to renew.
If you prefer not to apply online, please complete and return the paper application form.
To cancel your postal vote, you can submit a signed declaration by email or post, including your full name, address, a statement requesting cancellation, your handwritten signature, and the date.
Paper forms and cancellations can be emailed to ElectoralServices@Maidstone.gov.uk or posted/hand-delivered to:
Electoral Services
Maidstone Borough Council
Maidstone House
King Street
Maidstone
ME15 6JQ