Other changes to elections and voting
The government has passed legislation for the following changes which come into force for elections in 2024 onwards:
- Absent voting, postal and proxy voting
- Postal vote re-applications for 2025 and 2026
- EU citizens' voting and candidacy rights
- Overseas electors
Until the new legislation has been passed, the current arrangements for voter franchise will remain, that includes for European Union citizens and the current limitations of overseas electors permitted period for registering to vote.
Absent voting, postal and proxy voting
The absent voting, postal and proxy voting changes are as follows:
- political parties and campaigners banned from handling postal votes
- the number of postal votes which a person can hand in at a polling station limited to 6
- postal voters will need to make a fresh application every 3 years, instead of the 5-yearly signature refresh
- electors will only be allowed to act as proxy for up to 4 people, of which no more than 2 can be 'domestic electors' (that is not overseas voters)
- applications will require identity verification - both online and paper applications will include a requirement for the applicant's identity to be verified
- electors will be able to apply online for an absent vote
Changes to postal vote handling rules have been in force since May 2023.
The online application service has been available since July 2023.
The change to the 3-yearly application process is transitional, and start in January 2024.
Changes to postal vote application and new proxy limits apply from May 2024.
Postal vote re-applications for 2025 and 2026
If your postal vote is due to expire in January 2026, we'll be contacting you this year to remind you to re-apply in advance.
This email is genuine and will be sent from email: electoral.services@york.gov.uk.
Renewing your postal vote
The Elections Act 2022 introduced new rules for postal votes. From Tuesday 31 October 2023:
- all postal vote applications must contain your name, address, date of birth, National Insurance Number and signature
- when you apply to vote by post your identity is checked against information held by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). In some instances, this identity check fails, and you'll be asked to supply evidence of your identity
- postal votes are valid for a maximum of 3 years
If you applied for a permanent postal vote before Tuesday 31 October 2023, your postal vote will expire on Saturday 31 January 2026. When your postal vote expires, you will need to make a new application.
Why we're getting in touch now
We're contacting electors who applied for their postal vote before Tuesday 31 October 2023 to ask them to re-apply as soon as possible.
You can re-apply for your postal vote online.
We have approximate 13,000 postal voters who need to make a new application before Saturday 31 January 2026. We have started the re-application process early to allow voters plenty of time to re-apply should they wish to do so.
How we'll contact you
Initially, we'll be contacting all electors who have supplied us with their email address. To check that any correspondence you have received is genuine:
- the email title will be 'City of York Council – Postal Vote Re-application Notice'
- the sending account will be email: electoral.services@york.gov.uk
You do not have to wait to receive our re-application correspondence to make a new application.
We're contacting electors by email because re-applying online is the quickest and most cost effective way to make your application. Assist us by responding to our correspondence as soon as you can.
If you do not wish to re-apply online, or if we do not hold an email address for you, we'll contact you by post in the winter.
The deadline to re-apply is Saturday 31 January 2026. If you do not respond to this request and submit a new application, your postal vote will expire on this date. We'll write to you in February 2026 to notify you.
Be assured that if you do not wish to make a new application online or download an application, you'll automatically be sent a paper form later in the year. You do not need to contact us to request this.
When you re-apply for your postal vote, you'll receive an acknowledgement email. You may receive an email asking for evidence of your identity for your application. Look out for these emails to ensure that your application can be processed.
If you no longer wish to vote by post, email: electoral.services@york.gov.uk, provide your full name and address in your correspondence.
EU citizens' voting and candidacy rights
EU citizens will no longer automatically be entitled to register, vote, or stand for election.
The following groups of EU citizens will retain their rights:
- qualifying EU citizens - citizens of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain who are resident in the UK, have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who do not need permission
- EU citizens with retained rights - citizens of any other EU country who on or before 31 December 2020 were legally resident in the UK, had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and this has continued without a break
These changes apply to all local elections and referendums in England.
Overseas electors
The overseas electors changes are as follows:
- the arbitrary 15-year limit on British citizens living abroad is removed
- overseas electors will be able to register at an address where they were previously registered, or even never registered, where they were last resident
- the registration period is extended from 1 year to 3 years
The overseas electors changes apply from May 2024.
Also see