A postal vote means you can cast your vote and post it back to the council without going to the polling station - postal votes can be sent anywhere, either inside or outside the United Kingdom.
You can apply to vote by post at any time and don't need to wait for an election to be called. The deadline for applying is at least eleven days before an election is due to be held.
You will need to renew your postal vote application every three years.
If you want to vote by post, you must first make sure you are registered to vote. You will likely only need to register if you have recently moved address, changed your name or recently turned 18 years old. Find out more and register to vote online .
As part of your application you will be asked to provide a signature and your date of birth - these will be stored securely. Each time you vote by post, your signature and date of birth will be checked against your original application.
If you are unable to sign in a consistent or distinctive way, perhaps because of a disability, you may be granted an exemption, called a waiver.
Apply for a postal vote
