Apply for a postal vote

If you are unable to attend a polling station on polling day, you can vote by post.

Postal votes can be sent from anywhere, inside or outside the United Kingdom.

You can apply to vote by post online by using the following link:

Alternatively, you can complete a paper application form

and return this by email:

or by post:

Elections,
Oldham Council,
Spindles Shopping Centre,
West Street,
Oldham, OL1 1LF

Your application must include your National Insurance number (NINO). This is used so that we can verify your identity. If you do not have or cannot provide a NINO, you will be asked to provide a form of documentary evidence, such as your passport or driving licence, or an attestation.

Your application must also include your date of birth and a specimen of your signature. These are used to verify your postal vote statement when you return it. Your signature must be authentic and capable of being reproduced by hand (i.e. it cannot be computer generated). If you have difficulty providing a signature, for example due to a disability or illiteracy, you may be able to apply for a waiver.

Handing in postal votes

Voters will be only able to hand in their postal vote and the postal votes of up to five other people at a polling station, who are either close relatives or someone they provide regular care for.

This will include UK Parliamentary elections, local elections in England, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales,

Voting pack

If you have applied for a postal vote, you will receive a voting pack in the post including instructions on how to vote.

Please read the instructions thoroughly to make sure your vote is counted.

When you get your postal voting pack, including the ballot paper, make sure you put it somewhere safe and don't give it to anyone or leave it where anyone else can pick it up.

It’s up to you when you vote – you can do it straight away – but ensure you complete your ballot paper in secret and don’t let anyone else vote for you.

Once everything is complete, post it back yourself. If you can’t do that, give it to somebody you know and trust to do it for you.

Make sure you send it back so that it arrives by 10pm on election day. If it arrives later than this, your vote won't be counted.

You can hand your postal ballot in at your local council on the day if you’re not able to send it back by post in advance.

Renewing your existing postal vote application

The application process for a postal vote has changed. You must now apply for your postal vote every three years. This replaces the previous five-yearly signature refresh process.

If you applied for a postal vote before 30 January 2024, you must apply again by 31 January 2026 to remain a postal voter.

Over the next few months, we will contact every elector whose postal vote period is due to expire. This communication will include instructions on how to make a new application.

We will be sending communications between June and December and will have contacted everyone who needs to renew their postal vote by January 2026.

How we will contact you

To help you identify a genuine email from us:

  • The email subject line will be ‘Oldham Council - postal vote renewal’
  • The sender will be elections@oldham.gov.uk

If we do not have an email address for you or you do not respond to our email, we will send you a letter.

Please help us minimize costs by responding to your renewal notice email as soon as possible.

Email elections@oldham.gov.uk if you no longer wish to vote by post. In your email, include your name, address, and a request to remove your postal vote application.

What has changed

The Elections Act 2022 introduced changes to postal vote applications received from 31 October 2023:

  • All postal vote applications must contain the applicant's name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number, and signature.
  • The applicant's identity must be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If this identity check fails, the applicant must provide evidence of their identity.
  • Postal votes are now valid for a maximum of three years.

What happens if I do not renew

If you do not renew by 31 January 2026, your current postal voting arrangement will be cancelled.

We have started the renewal process early to allow you to apply in advance of any scheduled elections.

Help using your postal vote

If you need help filling in your postal vote, call the Elections team on 0161 770 4718.

Tips on how to keep your postal vote safe

  • Put them somewhere safe
  • Don't let anyone else handle them
  • Don't give the ballot paper to anyone else
  • Put the ballot paper in the envelope and seal it up yourself
  • Complete and sign the postal voting statement
  • Put the postal voting statement and the envelope containing your ballot paper into the larger supplied envelope and seal it.
  • Take it to the post box yourself, if you can
  • If you can't do that, either give it to somebody you know and trust to post it for you, or ring your local elections team, to ask if they can collect it from you
  • Don't hand it to a candidate or party worker unless no other way is practical
  • Don't leave it where someone else can pick it up