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Postal vote

About this service

You can apply to vote by post. Instead of going to vote in person at your polling station, you can ask us to send your ballot paper to your home address, or an address of your choice. You then post your vote back to us.

Ballot papers are usually posted out approximately 8 working days before an election.

We are allowed to send postal ballot papers outside the UK. However, because of the short time for you to receive and send back your ballot paper, you may prefer to appoint a proxy.

All ballot papers must reach us before polling stations close on election day - either at the Electoral Services Office or to a polling station in the electoral area. Ballot papers received after this time cannot be counted. If you have a postal vote, you cannot change your mind and vote at your polling station on election day.

You can print off an application form from the bottom of this page but please note that forms must be printed out, signed, and faxed or posted back to the address below. Emailed copies will not be accepted.

You will need

You can apply to vote by post at any time. However there are deadlines for receipt of applications in repect of particular elections.

Deadlines for receipt of applications are set out in the Notice of Election. Copies of this Notice for forthcoming elections will be displayed within the electoral area, and at the council's main offices.

Applications for postal votes must be made in writing to the Electoral Registration Officer providing:-

Your name, address, date of birth and your signature
The address at which you are registered to vote.
The address to which the ballot papers should be sent.
The period during which you wish to vote by post (indefiniately/for a fixed period/for a particular election).
The types of election when you wish to vote by post (Parliamentary/Local/both)

All applications must be signed and dated by the applicant. Applications must be returned to the Electoral Registration Officer, PO Box 2117, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 2DS.