There are a number of changes to postal and proxy votes, applicable to all elections in England and General and PCC elections in Wales and General Elections in Scotland that have come in to force this week.
The changes include:
- You can apply online to vote by post at https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
- You now to prove your identity as part of the application process. Both online and paper applications require ID verification either by providing their National Insurance number or using some other form of identification.
- You can hold a postal vote for a maximum period of three years. You need to reapply at the end of that time.
Proxy voters will now only be able to have a proxy vote for two other people, whether they are related or not. Those who already have a postal vote in place do not need to take any action now. They will be contacted by the council when their postal vote is due for renewal.
If you need any further information, you can find it at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/our-views-and-research/elections-act/changes-postal-voting
