The system for voting by post has changed, and anyone who wants to use a postal vote for the local elections and mayoral elections on May 7 needs to ensure that they are registered to do so.
The deadline to register for a postal vote ahead of the local elections on May 7 is Tuesday April 21.
Recent changes in the law now require anyone using a postal vote to apply every three years for renewal.
Late delivery: given Royal Mail’s lack of reliability of late, voting by post might not be such an attractive option
Postal votes became very popular with electors in 2020 and 2021, when the idea of strolling down to the polling station and casually picking up a potentially life-changing, or life-threatening, virus became anathema.
Following the Elections Act 2022, everyone is required to apply every three years for renewal. Electors who applied for a postal vote before October 31, 2023, will only be able hold their postal vote until January 2026. They needed to re-apply by January 31 for a postal vote that would then last for another three-year period.
Everyone in Croydon who had a postal vote should have received a reminder to re-register from the council’s Electoral Services at the start of this year.
Anyone with a long-standing postal vote but who failed to re-apply by January 31 will not be excluded for voting on May 7. But in order to vote by post in this year’s local elections, they need to make a new application. Yes, it is all a bit of a bureaucratic faff, but it is what it is.
Some London councils have been better at publicising this than others.
Croydon Council’s online directions can be found by clicking here.
Local authorities have contacted people who would be affected by the “three-year rule”, but it seems there has been a variation in how councils have done this.
The Electoral Commission guidance to local authorities on how they chase up people who have not renewed their postal vote is not very prescriptive. Critically, it says councils “may” choose to send a reminder. There was no actual requirement on councils to send out a reminder notice.
If you missed the January 31 deadline to renew your postal vote, but due to your working hours, family responsibilities or for health or disability reasons, might not be able to vote in person at a polling station, you still have time to arrange a postal vote for this year’s local elections.
With low turnouts a long-standing issue with council elections, getting as many people who are properly eligible to take part in the elections as possible, and making the voting system as accessible as possible, would seem to be the democratic thing to do.
So if you want a postal vote for May 7, this is what you need to do:
The council must verify your identity when applying to vote by post. This requires you to provide your National Insurance number.
If you do not have a National Insurance number, you will need to explain why. You can then upload alternative documents that will help us verify your application.
You can make an application to vote by post using the secure Government portal by clicking here.
You will need to provide the following information:
- Full name
- Address including post code
- National Insurance number
- Date of birth
- Handwritten signature
You will need to upload a picture of your signature; the website will advise you on how to provide and upload this.
Your signature must be:
- in focus
- without shadows
- without anything showing in the background
- the right way up
If you are unable to provide a distinctive signature due to a disability, or if you are unable to read or write, the electoral registration officer may grant you a waiver.
And Croydon Council says this: “The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm, 11 working days prior to an election or referendum. At the Mayor of Croydon and Croydon Council elections on 7 May 2026, this is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.”
You will not be able to vote in person at the polling station once your arrangement to vote by post is in place.
The council says: “We aim to send out postal votes to reach voters with as much time as possible before polling day. They are sent via Royal Mail with a special first-class reply envelope to return them. The Royal Mail treats postal votes as a priority.”
For more information on where to vote on May 7 and who is standing for election, use our widget here:
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