“Renew your details to avoid your postal vote being cancelled” is message from Leeds City Council as deadline looms

Postal voters in Leeds are being asked to urgently renew their details if they have not yet done so as the deadline nears.

All registered postal voters in the city who applied to vote by that method before January 30 2024 need to renew their details by the end of January 2026 in order to avoid having their postal vote option cancelled.

Leeds City Council has contacted postal voters in the city twice already this year asking them to complete the renewal, which is a requirement of the government's Elections Act 2022 needing postal voters to renew their postal vote application every three years, with an identity check now included as part of the process.

Despite receiving the information, approximately 60,000 postal voters in Leeds have still not responded, and the council is now urgently calling on those voters to do so as quickly as possible.

Electoral Registration Officer and chief executive of Leeds City Council Ed Whiting said:

“It is very important postal voters in Leeds who have not yet renewed their details do so as quickly as possible, or they run the risk of having their postal vote option cancelled. The deadline of January 31 is getting ever closer and we want everyone who wants to vote to be able to do so by their preferred method.

“Leeds has the highest number of registered postal voters of any comparable city in the country, and we thank the more than 90,000 voters who have already responded, but with such a large number still outstanding we really do need people to act on this now.”

The quickest and easiest way to complete the process is online via Apply for a postal vote - GOV.UK.

As part of the changes introduced by the government, all postal vote applications must contain the applicant's name, address, date of birth, national insurance number and a clear image of their signature.

Their identity will be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If this check fails, the applicant must provide further evidence of their identity.

If anyone is unable to complete the application online, paper copies of the application form have been sent by post, but can also be downloaded via Apply for a postal vote - paper form - GOV.UK.

Anyone who no longer requires a postal vote should contact the Electoral Registration Officer immediately. More information can be found at Postal voting | Leeds.gov.uk.

After a fallow year for local elections in Leeds this year, the next scheduled local government elections in Leeds will be held on Thursday 7 May 2026.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Leeds City Council communications and marketing,

Email: communicationsteam@leeds.gov.uk

Tel: 0113 378 6007