Postal voters in Leeds asked to return packs early and be aware of new rules on handing in votes

Postal voters in Leeds are being urged to return their completed voting packs as soon as possible ahead of this year’s local and regional elections on Thursday 2 May.

Postal vote packs are being posted out from today to all electors in the city registered to vote by post in the elections for seats on Leeds City Council and for the regional Mayor of West Yorkshire.

Electors are asked to carefully read the instructions on the voting packs and return them using the pre-paid envelope via Royal Mail as soon as possible to help manage demand. A video showing how to complete the pack can be seen at Flexi-vote 14 (youtube.com).

Any postal voters who are unable to post their vote and choose to return it by hand instead are advised to be aware new rules are in place when doing so. The key elements of these rule changes are as follows:

• - Completed postal vote packs can only be handed in at a polling station or at the electoral services office at Leeds Civic Hall, LS1 1UR. No other council offices will be able to accept votes.
• - Anyone handing in a postal vote on behalf of themselves or other people will be required to fill in a form, giving their name and address, how many postal votes they are handing in and why they are being handed in rather than returned by post. Polling station and council staff will be able to help with this process.

• - If handing in postal votes on behalf of other people, this is now limited to the person handing the votes in along with up to five other votes – so a maximum of six.

For more information on completing and returning postal vote packs, visit https://www.leeds.gov.uk/your-council/elections/postal-voting#newrules

For those voting at a polling station on election day, voters are reminded of the need to show a valid form of Voter ID.  Guidance on what forms of identification will be accepted and how to apply for a new free Voter ID can be seen at Voter photo ID (leeds.gov.uk).  As with last year, all community hubs and libraries in Leeds will be able to help voters complete the application form including having a photo taken. The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (free voter ID) is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.

Applications to vote by proxy can still be applied for via www.leeds.gov.uk/elections, with the deadline for applications to vote this way also being 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.

Elections Returning Officer and chief executive of Leeds City Council Tom Riordan said:

“Postal vote packs are now being sent out to registered voters who have chosen to vote using that method, and we would encourage people to complete the packs and send them back using the pre-paid envelope through the mail as soon as they can to help our team manage the demand.

“This is the simplest way to vote by post, as anyone wishing to hand in a postal vote needs to be aware of the new rules in place for this year with regard to where and how postal votes can be handed in.

“If anyone wishing to vote in person on election day still hasn’t got an accepted form of photo ID please apply before the deadline on April 24 and then remember you must have it with you on election day in order to be able to vote at the polling station.”

For more information and guidance on the elections taking place on May 2 visit the Electoral Commission’s website at Home Page | Electoral Commission.

Notes to editors: 

Timeline of remaining key dates ahead of Leeds City Council and regional Mayor of West Yorkshire elections 2024: 

• - Thursday 18 April: Postal vote packs start being delivered to voters
• - 5pm on Wednesday 24 April: Deadline for applications for Voter Authority Certificate (the photo ID to be able to vote in person at a polling station)
• - 5pm on Wednesday 24 April: Deadline for applications to vote by proxy
• - Thursday 2 May (7am-10pm): Election day
• - Friday 3 May: Votes counted and results declared for Leeds City Council seats
• - Saturday 4 May: Votes counted and result declared for Mayor of West Yorkshire

It will be a requirement at polling stations on election day to establish the identity of all voters using one of the accepted forms of photo ID. It may be necessary for polling officials to ask voters to remove face coverings in order to verify their identity. Privacy booths will be available at all polling stations, with a choice of a male or female official to carry out the check.

 The Leeds elections team can be contacted to address any issues using the helpline at 0113 222 4411 or by emailing electors@leeds.gov.uk.

ENDS

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Leeds City Council communications and marketing,

Email: communicationsteam@leeds.gov.uk

Tel: 0113 378 6007