Under the Elections Act 2022, postal voters must now reapply for their postal vote every three years.
Anyone who applied before 31 October 2023 must reapply for their postal vote by 31 January 2026. If a new application is not received by this date, the postal vote will be cancelled.
We will contact all those affected by the end of 2025, either:
- by e-mail (if we have an e-mail address), or
- by letter (if we do not have an e-mail address).
We may contact different people at the same address in these two different ways.
Next steps
Over 65,000 of our postal voters will need to re-apply. The Electoral Services team will begin the re-application process in July 2025. This will give voters the maximum amount of time to avoid their postal vote being cancelled.
We will send our communication to postal voters between July and December 2025.
How to reapply
The quickest and easiest way to reapply is online on the government website.
As part of your application, you will need to provide your:
- Date of birth
- National Insurance Number (NINO)
- A photo or scanned copy of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.
Please go to the government website for help to find your National Insurance Number or for guidance on how to upload your signature.
You can also request a paper application form. Please either e-mail voter.registration@cornwall.gov.uk or call Electoral Services on 0300 1231 115.
Your National Insurance Number (NINO) will be checked against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) .
If this check fails or you do not provide your NINO, we will ask you to provide documents to confirm your identity.
If you cannot sign your application
If you cannot sign or sign consistently, you can apply for a postal vote without signing. You will need to give a reason why you are unable to provide a consistent signature.
If you have help completing the application, that person must supply their details.
Please contact us and ask us to send you a waiver application form. Please either e-mail voter.registration@cornwall.gov.uk or call Electoral Services on 0300 1231 115.
How your personal identifiers are used
Your “personal identifiers” are your signature and date of birth. You must provide these on your application to vote by post (unless you have a signature waiver) .
When you vote at an election, you must complete and return a statement including your personal identifiers.
We will then check that they match those you gave on your original application. This is a security measure to prevent someone else from using your vote.
If the identifiers do not match, your vote must be rejected and not counted.
We will keep your ballot paper separate, so no-one knows how you have voted.
If you want to cancel your postal vote
To cancel your postal vote, please either e-mail voter.registration@cornwall.gov.uk or write to: Electoral Services, Cornwall Council, 4S, County Hall, Truro TR1 3AY.
Your e-mail or letter must include your full name and address.
If you cancel your postal vote, you will need to take photo ID with you when you vote in a polling station. For more information, please visit our Voter ID page .