Reapplying for a postal vote

The Elections Act 2022 introduced the following changes for voters who applied for a postal vote after 31 October 2023:

• Electors can now apply online.
• Electors must prove suitable identity as part of the application process. Your identity will be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If this identity check fails, you must provide evidence of your identity.
• Postal vote applications are now valid for a maximum period of three years and a new application must be made at the end of that time.  

You can spot a genuine email from us as:

• the email title will be Important: Your postal vote is due to expire
• the sender will be from Electoral Registration – Bedford Borough Council

Some members of the same household may be contacted in different ways depending on whether we have an email address or not and when their postal vote is due to expire.

We are using emails where a voter has provided an email address to reduce our carbon footprint and to reduce the cost of sending letters by post. 

Please help us by responding as soon as possible.

You can apply online for a postal vote

As part of your application, you will be required to provide:

• date of birth
• National Insurance number
• a photo or scanned copy of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper

If you are unable to complete your application online you can download a paper application form in England. 

You can also request a paper application form by emailing electoral.registration@bedford.gov.uk or call Electoral Registration on 01234 718078.

If you are unable to provide a signature or a consistent signature but still want to vote by post, you can apply for a postal vote without giving your signature. Apply for a postal vote.

You will be required to provide a reason why you are unable to provide a consistent signature. 

If you have had help completing the application, that person will be required to supply their details.

If you prefer to complete a paper application, please contact us by phone or email and request a waiver declaration to be sent to you. The waiver declaration needs to be returned with your postal vote application form.

Find out how to upload your signature.

You must prove your identity as part of the application process.

Your National Insurance Number (NINO) will be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If this identity check fails, you must provide evidence of your identity.

Get help to find your National Insurance number.

If you are unable to provide your national insurance number, you'll need to provide some documents so that we can confirm your identity.

Cancellation of postal votes must be made in writing, and this can be done by email to electoral.registration@bedford.gov.uk or by letter to:

Electoral Registration, Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP.

Your correspondence must include your full name, address and date of birth.

Be aware that if you are no longer a postal voter, you now need to take an accepted form of photo ID with you to vote in a polling station. For more information visit the voter ID page on the Electoral Commission website.

On your application to vote by post you must provide your date of birth and signature, these are your “personal identifiers”.

When you vote by post you are required to complete and return a statement giving your personal identifiers. These are then checked against those you gave on your application to check that they match. If they do not match, your vote will not be counted and your postal vote rejected.

This is a security measure to prevent someone else from using your vote.

Your personal identifiers are always kept separate from your ballot paper, so no-one knows how you have voted.

The next scheduled elections for Bedford Borough will be the Mayor and Local Council elections on Thursday 6 May 2027.